NACTA poll: Kamla slightly favoured over Rowley for PM

OPPOSITION Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is slightly more favoured than Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley for this country’s Prime Minister according to a North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) poll.

NACTA said in a release the poll, conducted last month, showed there was not much of a gap between the popularity of both leaders.

“Kamla’s popularity continues to remain high among UNC loyalists while Rowley has seen declining numbers among PNM supporters.”

NACTA said the poll’s findings showed widespread dissatisfaction with the incumbent PNM government as well as the opposition UNC.

“People have lost faith in Government and Opposition politicians to improve their lives with many saying they want something new.

There is widespread voter apathy with people turned away from both major parties leaving room for a third option which is nowhere on the horizon.

The poll shows that neither party is able to garner significant support from the wide spectrum of ethnicities and religious groups outside of their voting blocs; neither one has been able to unite the nation, giving space to any rising third force.”

NACTA pointed out earlier surveys consistently showed that although the PNM is unpopular, swing voters were not drawn towards the opposition UNC, critical for electoral wins in marginal constituencies.

NACTA said the findings showed that corruption was a major issue affecting the government nationwide and other issues that worry people including crime (law and order) and the economy, specifically unemployment, inflation, agriculture, development, and salary.

“Although disgruntled with PNM governance, party supporters as well swing voters are not gravitating towards the Opposition UNC saying it needs urgent transformation with credible faces and a willingness to collaborate with other groups. At this time, the Opposition does not pose a serious threat to PNM’s re-election.”

NACTA reported the poll, conducted by Dr Vishnu Bisram, interviewed respondents randomly to represent the demographics of the population and only the views of likely voters were used in the report.