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Freddie does not understand polling

Feb 05, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
It does not appear that Freddie Kissoon understands the concept of polling (letter Kaieteur News, January 27).
Kissoon said there is no such subject as Political Science and that he studied history with his field of specialization being “Guyanese History”. Polling falls under the discipline of Political Science, among other subjects, but is not conducted under the subject of History. This helps to explain why Kissoon does not understand and cannot properly interpret polls. A poll has a margin of error and if the findings are within the error, then it is a good poll. That was the case in NACTA’s Grenada polling in 2008 in most constituencies. Take for example, the overall popular support which NACTA projected 52-46 in favour of NNP. The actual outcome was 48-51% – well within the margin. Similarly, most seats are within the margin of error.
Freddie denigrated Vishnu Bisram saying he is not a pollster and attacked the NACTA poll as being wrong in Grenada. A study of the poll’s findings would reveal that the projected outcome on the island’s 15 constituencies was almost borne out while its conclusion of a NNP landslide victory was not. The opposition won by a landslide. But NACTA was not the only poll to predict a NNP victory. Two other polls, Prof Johnson of Jamaica and Prof. Wickham of Barbados, obtained similar findings in their polls in Grenada. Kissoon did not chastise them but trained his guns on Vishnu Bisram.
NACTA found a 3% swing in favour of the NNP. The other polls had a larger swing. It was on the basis of the swing, the campaign momentum, and incumbency that the poll concluded that the NNP would win the marginal constituencies. But the conclusion was not borne out. An NDC official and media personnel told me that voters misled the interviewers from the various polls about their true intentions on how they planned to vote. Unless voters are honest in their responses, it will be difficult to capture the political mood of a society. This is quite different from changing one’s opinion at the last hour which does happen because of momentous events or other factors.
Kissoon claims that “his friends in Grenada told him Vishnu Bisram was not in Grenada”.  This is similar to his claim that his friends at high places in America told him that Vishnu Bisram is not a teacher anywhere in America.  We know how claim turned out.  Kissoon also claimed his friends in Miami told him that Vishnu Bisram was the subject of a panel discussion at Miami University. OAS Asst. Secretary General Albert Ramdin debunked that myth. Other Kissoon’s claims about Bisram were also proven wrong. I am prepared to pay all the costs for Kissoon and his family to visit Grenada to confirm the veracity of my claim that I spent significant amount of time in Grenada conducting polls and appearing on radio and TV stations. If the claims are confirmed, Kissoon will have to reimburse me all costs including for my flight from JFK to Grenada plus hotel and meals.
Here is a chance “to put his money where his mouth is”.  I will be vindicated and another of Freddie’s distortions will be exposed.
Kissoon calls on the business community to support him to conduct polls. I think they should.  But since Kissoon does not understand polling, never did one, and says there is no such thing as political science, I wonder how exactly is he going to conduct polls.
And if after 20 of polling and getting most findings correct and Kissoon still says Bisram is not qualified to conduct polls, then exactly what makes Kissoon qualified to conduct polls.
And if the findings don’t conform to Kissoon’s thoughts, can one conclude the polls were conducted in basement apartments in the Bronx (oops… make that Richmond Hill).
For Kissoon, if a Dick Morris poll shows AFC winning the elections, it will be magnificent and professionally done and not conducted in a basement apartment in Washington. Freddie, please take a course on polling.
Vishnu Bisram

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