-Jagdeo more popular than government
The latest NACTA poll conducted in July finds that Health Minister Dr. Leslie Ramsammy and AFC Leader Raphael Trotman trump their colleagues in the populace’s perception of the best Minister of the Government and the most effective Opposition Parliamentarian.
This is one of several findings of a new NACTA poll of 780 adults surveyed in mid-July to represent the demographic composition of the population.
NACTA is a New York-based entity founded by several Caribbean educators with no political affiliation. It has been conducting polls regularly in the Caribbean. The latest Guyana survey was conducted to find out views on a wide range of current issues. The poll was co-ordinated by Vishnu Bisram, a teacher, political analyst, and newspaper columnist in NY. Bisram has been conducting surveys in Guyana for almost 20 years. The poll has a statistical sampling error of plus or minus four percentage points.
According to the findings of the survey, Dr. Ramsammy is rated as the best Minister because of his take-charge style in addressing health concerns and his effectiveness in getting projects completed. Voters also say he is the hardest working Cabinet Minister and they admire him for listening to their complaints. Ramsammy gets the nod of 25% of the public as the best Minister. He is closely followed by Agriculture Minister Robert Persaud who scored 24%. Farmers say Persaud has been responsive and helpful in addressing their concerns. He is followed by Social Services Minister Priya Manickchand with 19%. Shaik Baksh, Bheri Ramsaran, Robeson Benn, Clement Rohee, Pauline Sukhai, Carolyn Rodrigues, etc. are among others who voters chose as the best Minister. Rodrigues and Sukhai are particularly well liked among the Amerindians.
On the opposition side, Trotman is rated as the most effective opposition figure scoring 19% followed by PNC/R leader Robert Corbin with 13%, Winston Murray with 11%, and Aubrey Norton with 5%. A whopping 38% offered no choice. Many voters say that none of the opposition politicians is very effective at holding the government accountable. Some of the voters say that non-parliamentarians tend to do a more effective job holding the government accountable. For example, voters offer praise to C.N Sharma, who though not a parliamentarian, is seen as a far more “effective opposition” than many of those sitting in parliament. Sharma is praised for his TV reports highlighting peoples’ problems and for holding the government accountable. Sharma is liked by people of all races as compared with other politicians whose likeability hardly transcend their race.
The poll also finds that President Jagdeo remains highly popular scoring higher points than his government. Asked if they approve of Jagdeo’s performance as President, 51% said yes as compared with 36% who disapprove and 13% who opted not to answer the question or to give an opinion. Some describe him as a take charge President who performs the chores of other Ministers to achieve policy goals.
A large chunk of the public is dissatisfied with the performance of the government as distinct from that of the President.
Asked if they are satisfied with the way the government is running the country, 41% said yes with 36% saying no, and 23% not sure. The numbers suggest that Jagdeo is far more likeable than his government and cabinet colleagues, not the least because they see him as more effective than others in getting things done.
Who would you describe as the best Minister of the government?
Minister %
Who would you rate as the most effective opposition politician?
Are you satisfied with the way the country is being governed?
Do you approve of President Bharrat Jagdeo‘s performance?
