The following is the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) response to a Nation- commissioned CADRES poll which appeared in the Sunday Sun. The poll – conducted between September 10 and 13 among 1 000 respondents in all 30 constituencies – dealt with a wide range of political issues, including a succession plan by Government and leadership issues on both sides of the fence.
The Barbados Labour Party (BLP) is heartened by the fact that its continued exposure of the true state of the Barbados economy and issues within the society has resulted in a sharp decline in public support for the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) led Government.
According to the CADRES poll that support for the DLP plummeted from 44 per cent in 2009 to 33 per cent, a highly significant drop. On the other hand, support for the BLP has risen to 25 per cent. The number of uncertain voters has increased significantly, rising from 32 per cent to 42 per cent. A 20-percentage gap between the two major parties in now at a mere 8 points. This is a very notable achievement.
As a result, the BLP strongly believes that with sustained effort, it is in a position to win the next election whenever they are called and return this country to the prosperity and high standards which it deserves. Barbadians understand and appreciate the vast difference between the two parties with regards to the handling of the economy and social issues and once again seem willing to put their trust in our great party to lead them to greener pastures.
We appreciate that the poll was done at a very difficult time for all Barbadians, regardless of party affiliation. A couple of days prior to the conduct of this poll, the nation was alerted to the fact that Prime Minister David Thompson suffered a serious setback in his recovery and indeed had to return to hospital in New York for more treatment.
There was a tremendous and genuine outpouring of sympathy and we are not certain of the effect this may have had on those interviewed and hence the results obtained. We however believe that it could have been a significant factor, if the call-in programmes are anything to go by in this regard.
The BLP feels justified that its concerns on the Government’s handling of the economy, especially the CLICO affair and the whole issue of jobs, have resulted in the decline in ratings given to the DLP Government. In the case of the economy, the satisfaction with the DLP Government is well under the moderate median score of 5.0, a sad indictment on a rather sad Government.
This bad performance is not surprising since this DLP Government has paid little attention to the economy, refusing to take the steps necessary for its resuscitation and continued well being. The massive rise in unemployment has been quite rightly stated as a source of serious concern. Once again the DLP is being seen as the party for unemployment, a deserved title, given their record and history in the early 70s, the early 90s and now.
The QEH, about which the Dems had plenty to say when in opposition, continues to suffer from lack of proper oversight and planning. The recent problems there would have been of major concern to all Barbadians, as the poll indicates. From all reports, the condition of our premier health institution has deteriorated over the past two years and is now a national disgrace. The public continues to speak out about it and this has been reinforced by the decline in satisfaction in the Government’s handling of the QEH and the health sector generally.
Since the last poll, the Prime Minister’s approval rating has declined while that of Opposition Leader Mia Mottley has increased. We believe that Miss Mottley’s grasp of the issues and her hard work in keeping them on the front burner will see her rating improve even more.
We are not at all surprised that the public has a low opinion of Deputy Prime Minister Freundel Stuart and that his approval rating fell below the passing grade since his performance both as Attorney General and Acting Prime Minister has been less than stellar. It should also be noted that both Stuart and Christopher Sinckler, two aspirants for a future DLP leadership, have very little public support.
The poll clearly shows that the population is utterly fed up with a Government that is turning a deaf ear to their pressing concerns and is putting party concerns above that of the nation. The public is assured that they have an Opposition which at a moments notice is ready, willing and able to take this country out of the mess that has been created over the past 30 months and once again put it on the path to renewed and sustained growth and development.
