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Pollster Don Anderson, Dr Horace Chang, JLP General Secretary, and PNP General Secretary Dr Dayton Campbell
Pollster Don Anderson has highlighted factors such as the postponement of the local government elections and the current public sector wage negotiations which, in his opinion, may have contributed to a decline in the popularity of the governing Jamaica Labour Party.
According to the findings from the recent poll commissioned by the People's National Party and published in the Sunday Gleaner, 28.1 per cent of the respondents said they would vote for the PNP, while 27.9 per cent said they would vote for the JLP.
Twenty-five per cent of the respondents say they don't support either party, while 19 per cent are undecided.
Mr. Anderson noted that the drop in the percentage of respondents who had previously indicated they would vote for the JLP could be attributed to them not being in agreement with Government's handling of the public sector negotiations, as well as several major scandals.
Mr. Anderson, who was interviewed Monday on The Morning Agenda, on Power 106, pointed out that, despite the recovery of the country's economy from the Covid-19 pandemic, Jamaicans are still struggling financially.
Not surprised
In his response to the poll findings, Dr Horace Chang, General Secretary of the Jamaica Labour Party, said on Monday that he was not surprised by the results.
Dr Chang, speaking on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines, said the party plans to execute its programmes effectively to secure the trust of the Jamaican public, especially "those who feel disenfranchised and maybe have been left behind for years."
Achieving those goals, he said, "requires a significant amount of expenditure of capital that will bring development and results.
Dr Chang, who is the Minister of National Security in the current JLP Administration, acknowledged that importance of further investments in the security forces in order to facilitate "a greater sense of safety, not just reduced numbers but having the society feelign a sense of comfort in the communities."
Base energised
Dr Dayton Campbell, General Secretary of the People's National Party General, also responding on Beyond the Headlines, said the poll findings were indicative of the work the party has been doing to energise its base.
"We are encouraged but not satisfied as to where we are; we still know there's a lot of work to be done in terms of presenting our policy platform as to how we will govern in a different and better way, to improve the lives of the people," he said.
He added that the PNP was still in the process of recruiting candidates for the next parliaentary election, constitutionally due in 2025.
When that process is concluded, there will be greater confidence at the constituency level in the appeal of the PNP, resulting in the party attracting more of the voters who are undecided in their choice at this time, he predicted.
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