Granger headed for crushing defeat
-as Ramotar, PPP/C take early lead in upcoming elections
AN OPINION poll conducted by the US-based North American Caribbean Teachers’ Association (NACTA) in early July has shown the incumbent PPP taking an early lead in popular support over the opposition parties in elections due by December. The PPP (at 46%), NACTA says, is way ahead of the newly-formed APNU (A Partnership for National Unity at 25%), AFC (at 5%), and other minor parties in popular support, and that the PPP’s presidential candidate, General Secretary Donald Ramotar, has already succeeded in crushing APNU’s David Granger — who does not enjoy wide appeal, even among traditional PNC supporters — and AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan, who is struggling to hold on to the support the party won in 2006.
The findings also show Ramotar as having a 73% acceptance among PPP supporters, while Granger has a mere 59% acceptance among PNC supporters, many of whom say they much preferred former Finance Minister, Carl Greenidge as the candidate. A large number of those polled feels the PPP will win the majority of seats, based on its performance and political machinery.
A total of 780 persons were polled so as to have as demographically representative a sample (45% Indians, 30% Africans, 16% Mixed, 8% Amerindians, and 1% others) of the Guyanese population, and when asked whether they thought any one party will win a majority of the Parliamentary seats, 43% replied in the affirmative, with almost all of them giving the thumbs-up to the PPP.
Asked too whether they endorse the formation of APNU, a mere 59% of the PNC’s supporters gave it the nod of approval, while almost all the PPP’s are totally opposed to the idea, seeing it as one and the same as the PNC.  Supporters of the AFC are pleased that their party has not linked up with APNU, as such an act would be “political suicide.”
According to NACTA, the findings show that apart from the PNC, none of the other parties that constitute APNU is projected to win a seat were they to contest the elections independently, while many feel they bring virtually no support to APNU.  And apart from the JFA (Justice For All), led by Channel 6 boss, C.N Sharma, all the other parties have lost support and are not projected to win not even a seat. 
In those communities where Channel 6 TV has a following, Sharma is the most popular of the presidential candidates because of his immensely popular ‘Voice of the People’ programme.  Many of his followers describe him as a genuinely caring man for his perceived  championing of the poor and downtrodden, but whether this popularity will translate into votes yet remains to be seen.
The poll also sought opinion on the preference for prime minister, and leading the pack in the PPP/C’s corner to lend balance as it were to the ticket in terms of race were Dr. Roger Luncheon and Jennifer Westford, though quite a few party supporters tended to lean towards Ralph Ramkarran or Moses Nagamootoo. 
Many, however, felt the party should opt for a younger candidate such as Robert Persaud, Priya Manikchand, Irfaan Ali, or Dr. Frank Anthony, while in the case of APNU, Clarissa Riehl and Rupert Roopnarine lead the pack to balance the ticket with a non-African, although party faithful have a preference for  Carl Greenidge or even Faith Harding.
Surprisingly, some seem to favour C.N Sharma for  prime ministerial candidate, saying he has the capacity to draw more voters than the other mini-parties combined.  Many supporters of the PPP and PNC however feel both parties should follow the AFC’s lead and select a woman to balance the gender factor.
The findings show a large number of voters (22%) being undecided. People complained about poor performance of some officers in the regional bodies. Many say some of the ministers and officials around President Jagdeo are not doing a satisfactory job. Only a few ministers are viewed as serious performers, such as Agriculture Minister, Robert Persaud, who is rated as the best Minister at 22%; followed by Health’s Dr. Leslie Ramsammy at 15%; Human Services Priya Manikchand at 14%; Housing’s Irfaan Ali at 10%; Finance’s Dr. Ashni Singh at 8%’ and Culture and Sports’ Dr. Frank Anthony at 7%. 
They also showered praise on some public officials, such as Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon and the President’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Nanda Kishore Gopaul.
The following is an excerpt of the questionnaire used in the poll:

Do you support Donald Ramotar as PPP Presidential Candidate?
(Response among PPP Supporters)
Yes      No   NS
73%    17    10

Do you endorse the formation of the APNU?
(Response among PNC Supporters)
Yes     No    NS
59       31      10

Do you support David Granger as APNU candidate?
(Response among PNC Supporters)
Yes       No     NS
61%      29      10

Do you expect any political party to get a majority of seats?
Yes        No       NS  
43%      34        23

Which party are you likely to vote for?
PPP      APNU     AFC    JFA     Others   Undecided
46%         25           5         1            1             22