Prime Minister Bruce Golding is seen as the best person to lead Jamaica at this time, the latest Observer/Don Anderson Poll has shown.

At the same time, Opposition spokesman on national security, Dr Peter Phillips, is the only other politician named by respondents in the June 25 to July 2 survey, as a possible leader of the country.

According to Anderson, whose Market Research Services Ltd team interviewed 1,000 people islandwide, one of the factors that might have conditioned Phillips' inclusion is the widely held notion that he is poised to challenge Opposition Leader Portia Simpson Miller for the presidency of the People's National Party, whereas there does not appear to be any such issue within the ranks of the governing Jamaica Labour Party.

"From this perspective then, he emerges as a possibility for leadership of the country," said Anderson.

Exactly 12 per cent of respondents expressed support for Phillips, 27 per cent for Simpson Miller, while 36 per cent feel that Golding is the best person at the moment to lead the country.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.

Anderson pointed out that the nine percentage points lead given to Golding over Simpson Miller "comes against the background of the harsh economic realities that the population at large is faced with".

His reference was to the high cost of living, fuelled by rising oil prices worldwide, that has been burdensome mostly on the poor.

The pollster said that Golding's support comes mainly from younger persons in the 18-25 age group and persons in the upper socio-economic group, while support for Simpson Miller comes mainly from males, older persons and persons in the lower socio-economic group.

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