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Dr. Peter Phillips and Peter Bunting shake hands shortly after the leadership race in September. (Gleaner file photo)
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Pollster Don Anderson
Most Jamaicans think the Opposition People's National Party cannot effectively challenge the ruling Jamaica Labour Party with Dr. Peter Phillips as its president.
Despite the party's best attempts at appearing to be one PNP following last September's leadership contest, respondents to the latest RJRGLEANER Don Anderson poll are also not buying the show of unity.
It's a question which has been playing on the minds of many PNP members and supporters: can the party be a viable force in a general election with Dr. Peter Phillips as head of the party?
Doubts surrounding the issue led to last year's challenge for the presidency of the party by Manchester Central member of parliament, Peter Bunting.
Mr. Bunting lost the contest, but the doubts persisted.
Pollster Don Anderson says 54 per cent of Jamaicans polled on the matter, think Dr. Phillips cannot lead an effective challenge of the JLP. But 30 per cent thought the opposite, believing the current leadership of the PNP could in fact challenge the governing JLP.
Last year's campaign for the presidency was a bruising one, which left PNP members aligned to Mr. Bunting's Rise United camp disappointed.
Since then, Kari Douglas, Councillor for the Trafalgar division, crossed the floor of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation to join the JLP side.
MPs Dr. Angela Brown Burke and Dr. Dayton Campbell were sidelined when the Shadow Cabinet was reconfigured, although Dr. Campbell has since been reappointed to that group.
Dr. Phillips also stated he held no grudge in relation to the challenge and promised to reunite the party.
Six months after the PNP presidential election, Mr. Anderson said most Jamaicans, or 59 per cent, think the party is still splintered.
Some 23 per cent of those interviewed said the party is united, while 10 per cent did not know and six per cent were not sure.
The poll was conducted between February 8 and 18 among 1,038 people.
It has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.
Leadership challenge good for PNP
In the meantime, more Jamaicans think Mr. Bunting's bid for presidency of the PNP was good for the party than those who think it wasn't.
Pollster Don Anderson said only ten percentage points separate the groups with 48 per cent believing the leadership challenge was a good thing for the party and 38 per cent feeling it was not good for the PNP.
Following an announcement of the challenge, concern was expressed about the timing amid widespread speculation Prime Minister Andrew Holness could call an early election.
It was felt the election could leave a weakened and divided the PNP ahead of the elections.
However, following the campaign, it was suggested that the election had reinvigorated the party, with the leaders reconnecting with the PNP grassroots.
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