Momentum with the PNP, says Golding

Opposition Leader Mark Golding says the momentum is with the People's National Party (PNP) heading into the September 3 general election.

Golding, who was speaking to journalists following his nomination at the St Luke's Church in Cross Roads, St Andrew, Monday morning, said his constituents have allowed him the flexibility to focus on work at the national level and he believes that work will translate into votes.

"I think the momentum is definitely with the People's National Party coming out of the publishing of our manifesto and all of the ideas that we have in there and there's a little more to come in due course with that," he said, while pointing to the PNP's Kingston and St Andrew Parish meeting on Saturday.

Commenting on the latest RJRGLEANER Group-commissioned Don Anderson poll findings on his favourability ratings, the PNP president said he is "happy to see that it has improved".

"Favourabilty is something that goes with exposure. As people get to know you and know more about who you are and so on, your favourability is likely to increase. If you're a pleasant, affable person and you're seen to be saying things that resonates with people," said Golding.

The poll was carried out by the Don Anderson-led Market Research Services Limited between August 2 and 11 among 1,008 registered voters aged 18 and over.

It shows 41 per cent of respondents view Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness favourably, compared to 39 per cent for Golding – a mere two-percentage point gap, which falls within the poll’s ±3 per cent margin of error at the 95 per cent confidence level.

While Holness leads marginally in favourability, 37 per cent of respondents now view him unfavourably, up from 30 per cent in June. For Golding, unfavourability rose from 22 per cent to 27 per cent.

Golding pointed to his net favourability rating, which he said puts him significantly ahead of Holness in that contest.

He said limited traditional media coverage of the Opposition relative to the Government may have resulted in the 34 per cent of people polled indicating that they have no opinion of him.

"Naturally the Government is out there cutting ribbons, breaking ground. The media are always with them. In Opposition we don't have any Government resources to spend, so we don't get those opportunities.

"So, I think that's part of it. It's harder in opposition to reach people who are not particularly interested in politics, which is that 30 per cent. They're not really following what politicians do. And so they get about their daily lives and so on. They may watch the news but they're not going to see the Opposition on the news as much as they see the Government," said Golding.

- Kimone Francis

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