Bisram: UNC must unite, like PNM

Black Immigrant Daily News

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Veteran pollster Dr Vishnu Bisram. –

DR Vishnu Bisram, head of opinion poll agency NACTA, told Newsday on Thursday that people have told him the PNM is viewed as being more united than the UNC, and the latter party is the subject of much discontent among traditional supporters. After Bisram’s recent statement that his polling indicated the UNC was unlikely to beat the PNM in the next general election unless allied to other parties under a new leader, the UNC challenged the bona fides of his polling, with sharp statements by UNC PRO Dr Kirk Meighoo and UNC chairman Davendranath Tancoo.

Meighoo asked if anyone had ever been contacted by NACTA, while Tancoo claimed no one took the polls seriously.

PDP leader Watson Duke told Newsday NACTA had incorrectly predicted a tie in the last THA election, but his party had won all seats but one.

Bisram told Newsday on Wednesdaythat political parties don’t like polls when they are losing.

On Thursday, in a statement texted to Newsday, he claimed that over several nights he had met many people at the Divali Nagar who had lauded his polling.

“Dozens of individuals, including MPs and councillors, aldermen of the UNC, and persons closely linked with the party, came up to me and praised the findings of the poll. Only one person offered a critique, not (of) the findings but (of) the missing methodology. She wanted to know how the poll was conducted.”

Bisram said aside from people approaching him, some 200 people were interviewed at random in the presence of others at the Nagar.

He said only six people, or three per cent of people polled, said the UNC in its present form has a chance of winning an election, despite almost all usually being diehard UNC supporters.

“They lack faith in the party, as presently constituted, that it can win an election. All of them said that if the party is reformed and has credible leadership of integrity, it will win.”

He repeated some of the names of those seen as potential leaders – Gary Griffith, Phillip Alexander, Vasant Bharath and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, among others.

“Many said Basdeo Panday, although at 89, can lead the UNC to victory. Panday is more popular than the UNC and PNM political leaders, as are the others whose names were mentioned.”

Bisram said many people felt Phillip Edward Alexander was a far more effective opposition than the entire UNC, but did not think his PEP party by itself could win a seat.

“They want Alexander and PEP to get part of an alliance. They did say that if part of an alliance, they will vote PEP and that he will win a seat and the alliance will be victorious.”

But, he said, five per cent of people polled at the Nagar said they would not vote.

Bisram said both the UNC and PNM, are experiencing voter apathy. However he argued one key difference between them.

“The ruling party (PNM) cleanses and unites, brings in critics and accept opposing voices.

“In the Opposition (UNC), as obtained from conversations from the party base, critics are alienated and/or sent off.”

He said many UNC members believed certain MPs and councillors feared they would not re-selected if there were unity in the party.

“The UNC is fractious and divided, says the base,” Bisram said. “There has been no meaningful effort to bring forces together.”

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