NACTA pollster: Widespread disapproval of budget

POLLSTER Dr Vishnu Bisram says an ongoing opinion survey by his North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) has found widespread disapproval of the budget.

Virtually no one who was questioned, a NACTA press release said on Wednesday, rated the budget very positively.

The good news for the government, Bisram added, is that the negative political impact of the budget on popular support for the ruling party is almost negligible. The political needle has not moved away from the ruling PNM to lose a seat in Trinidad, to bring about a change in government whenever elections are held. The survey found even with rising disenchantment and lack of support for the budget, unaligned, middle of the road, floating voters are not attracted to the opposition UNC.

Thus, the PNM has a clear roadway to re-election in 2025, unless something truly drastic and dynamic happens between now and the election date among the divided opposition forces.

The budget, based on the poll, found wide dissatisfaction among the middle and lower classes and grassroots voters, even among those who traditionally support PNM.

The budget found favour with only a mere six per cent of 520 respondents.

It has not bolstered public confidence in government’s handling of the economy, with 82 per cent saying they are fearful for the country’s economic future.

The number one complaint by the public is the rise in fuel costs.

This, respondents felt, would increase transport costs, which will affect the price of goods. The public said they are already reeling from rising costs of goods, and felt the rise in fuel costs would add to inflationary pressures.

MPs too arrogant

Respondents expressed support for some initiatives, such as the increase in personal allowance for income tax and the $1,000 support grant for the vulnerable. But they feel these are not enough to raise the standard of living.

On the presentation of the budget, the public polled felt government MPs came across as too arrogant and out of touch with the economic burden being borne by the population.

Respondents said some of them made presentations that came across as “ole talk.” The “coal pot” and “ride a bicycle” remarks dominated conversations everywhere. There was more focus on (MP Keith) Scotland’s comments than on the actual budget, overriding positive features in the budget. Memes and jokes were made about him. Mr Scotland’s apology or explanation did not help.

Not to be outdone, the response from the opposition UNC also received unsatisfactory ratings.

The opposition response was rated as flat and coming across as feeble, disjointed, and ill-prepared, not finding favour among many, including among its own supporters.

The public was turned off by the UNC response, suggesting it was not the message but the messenger that is rejected. The UNC will have to rethink about the faces of the party if it is to gain traction and be a formidable contender in 2025.

UNC still lagging

The UNC is not even close to recapturing government.

Asked whether the budget would cause them to shift political support from PNM to UNC, there was hardly any shift in numbers of respondents.

Of 520 voters interviewed, just over one per cent said they would shift their support from the PNM to UNC.

But virtually no one from the middle ground – critical to winning an election in the marginal constituencies – said they are attracted to the UNC.

Overall, the overwhelming number of respondents in this latest survey said they are displeased with the budget as well as the responses to it from the government and opposition sides. Politically, the status quo remains.

Everyone interviewed said government should have greater consultation and hearings with the public, and civic society in particular, in preparing and formulating the budget.

UNC PRO: It's a sham

Responding to a previous NACTA poll which claimed both the UNC and PNM internal elections are unfair to the general membership of both parties, UNC public relations officer Dr Kirk Meighoo called on the media to disregard NACTA polls.

"The media needs to stop this sham of pretending that these 'polls' have any credibility or statistical integrity whatsoever. They do not," Meighoo said in a press release sent on Wednesday.

Meighoo also had some questions: What sort of polling methodology does Dr Bisram use? How is the sample chosen? What is the poll’s margin of error? Can the polling data be analysed and vetted by third parties? Can anyone say they have ever been contacted by NACTA for the many polls it has done over the decades?

"Indeed, his latest 'poll' does not even bother to put out any numbers for analysis or scrutiny. Furthermore, who is NACTA? Why don’t they have a web page? What does this North American Caribbean Teachers Association do? Where are its headquarters? Who are its members and how many are there," Meighoo said.

This is an important issue, Meighoo said, because in modern politics, polls are used more to try to influence elections, rather than to predict them.

"As was famously declared by our party founder, however, the only polls that matter are the ones from 6 am-6 pm on election day. They have usually been at wild variance with so-called polls published only days before.

"The media must end the charade and cease playing in this game. It is a cynical disservice to our democracy," he said.