NEARLY 60 per cent of Jamaica’s potential electorate say that they have heard nothing workable or convincing from the Opposition to make them believe Edward Seaga’s Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) will win the general election later in the year.

Approximately half the people have the same view about the ruling People’s National Party (PNP), but that is still 10 percentage better than the Opposition.

In the case of the PNP, which is seeking an unprecedented fourth consecutive term in office, its biggest pulling card — for 17.4 per cent of the people — is the government’s performance on roads and the construction of Highway 2000.

The JLP is strongest, among 7.4 per cent, for its offering of free education and its policies on tourism, housing and telephones combined.

The seeming failure of the two major parties to excite Jamaican voters with their policies is captured in an opinion poll conducted for the Observer by the Stone organisation during the last two days of June. Stone used a sample of 1,202 persons, aged 18 and over, in 40 communities across Jamaica.

The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus three per cent.

Prime Minister P J Patterson has promised general election by year-end and both parties, with varying degrees of intensity, have been on the campaign trail.

Among the questions posed by the pollsters was whether persons had heard anything in the speeches or from the platform of the parties which would convince them that either would win the election, and what these offerings were.

In the case of the JLP, 58 per cent said that they had heard nothing convincing from that party, while 48.2 per cent made the same argument for the PNP.

“The majority of our respondents are not yet convinced that both of the two main parties have done enough in terms of policy implementation and announcements of what they are planning to win the next elections,” Stone commented.

The parties were even among the electorate (JLP 24.1 per cent, PNP 23.5 per cent) in terms of people not being sure whether or not they had worthwhile policies.

When it came to specific things for which people rated the parties positively, the PNP’s support in roads was followed by housing (8.2 per cent), education (6.3 per cent) and was tied with the JLP on the matter of job creation, rated as a positive by just over two per cent in the case of either party.

Apart from the support for its policies for social infrastructure, the JLP scored best in public perception about its management capabilities, with 4.7 per cent of the sample highlighting this as its strongest point.

Management did not arise as a strong point of the PNP, whose administration is often criticised for being lax.

Question

Is there anything which you have heard in the JLP’s speeches, platform announcements or advertisements in terms of policies which you believe is workable and convincing enough to make the JLP win the next elections? If so, what?

Answers (multiple)

No, have heard nothing……………………….58.0%

Don’t really know……………………………….24.1%

Policies on free education/tourism/ housing/telephones……………………………….7.4%

Better leadership/management……………… 4.7%

Job creation…………………………………………2.3%

Unveiling corruption…………………………….1.5%

Yes, but can’t say what…………………………0.7%

Question

Is there anything that the PNP is doing or what it says it is planning to do that you believe is either a success or workable and convincing enough to make the PNP win the next elections?

Answers

No, have not seen or heard anything…….48.2%

Don’t really know……………………………….23.5%

Roads/Highway 2000………………………….17.4%

Housing………………………………………………8.2%

Education…………………………………………….6.3%

Employment creation……………………………2.2%

Plans for fighting crime………………………..1.1%

It being seen as a democratic party…………1.1%

Stone comment:

The majority of our respondents are not yet convinced that both of the two main political parties have done enough in terms of policy implementation and announcements of what they are planning to do sufficient to win the next elections.

58% said they have heard nothing from the JLP while 48% have said they have not seen or heard anything from the PNP.

17.4% said that they believe the PNP’s road building programme and plans for Highway 2000 are convincing enough to make the PNP win the next elections.

8.2% said the same about the PNP’s housing programmes.

7.4% said they believe the JLP’s policies on free education/tourism expansion/housing and putting a telephone in every household is convincing enough to make the JLP win the next elections.

4.7% said the same about the better leadership in the JLP and what they see as the JLP’s better management of the economy.