THE PNCR HAS WON THE NEXT ELECTIONS

Jun 22, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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If the CARDES poll is to be believed, then the Peoples National Congress has already won next year’s general elections. In no prior pre-election poll has the PNCR held such a favourable rating of 31 per cent of those polled.
The PNCR and its leader have reason to be extremely pleased about the results of this survey.
This poll took place at a time when the PNCR was under pressure over its leadership and its role as the main opposition party. There have been calls for the PNCR leader to step aside and there have also been concerns that the party has been flaccid and ineffective as an opposition force.
If in light of these concerns, the PNCR could still find favour with 31 per cent of those polled, it means that the core support of the PNCR remains intact and that the base of the party is expanding since there is no way that the PNCR could have otherwise enjoyed such a favourable rating which is just four per cent below what is obtained in the 2006 general elections.
The performance of the PNCR in those elections was disastrous. The party lost ground in those elections finishing with just about 35 % of the total votes cast. Thus, its showing in the recent CADRES polls, coming at a time when the party has not even begun its election campaign and in fact is going through a quiet period, suggests that the core support of the PNCR remains intact.
Opposition parties have also not done well in pre election polls and this rating of the PNCR is its highest in any pre-election poll, including that controversial poll done a few years ago by a consultant to the AFC.
If the results of the CARDES poll are to be taken seriously, then it represents an overwhelming endorsement of the leadership of Robert Corbin and a demonstration that those who have called on him to step aside are not in touch with the popular mood for if indeed this call for the leader to make way was popular within the ranks of the supporters of the party, there ought to have been a considerable dip in the party’s rating.
If the CADRES poll is to be taken seriously then it means that the PNCR support base remains intact and that its popularity rating will increase dramatically as the election campaign gets going.
This latest poll result has interestingly been accompanied almost simultaneously with exploratory discussions which are seen as being a precursor to cobbling together an all -opposition coalition.
The timing may be purely coincidental, but then again it may not.
Already parties with only a smattering of electoral appeal are seeking to offer intellectual leadership of the process.
They should first apply their intellect toward improving their own standing with the masses rather than seeking at this stage to dictate the direction in which the possible alliance should proceed.
If the CADRES poll is to be believed then there is no need for the PNCR to even consider entering a coalition to contest the elections. The PNCR does not need a majority of the votes to win an election; no party needs fifty per cent to win an election.
It only needs the largest block of votes and if the CADRES poll has any credibility, then the PNCR is sitting good and does not need help to secure the largest block in next year’s elections.
If the CADRES poll is to be believed, then the predicted demands by marginal parties for the PNCR to play a secondary role in any all-opposition coalition should be dismissed.
There can be reason for the PNCR leader to step aside in favour of one of the candidates from parties which have not yet cut its teeth, much less to accommodate a candidate from outside of these borders.
This would be a similar insult to the leader of the PNCR as it was years ago to Dr. Cheddi Jagan when forces within the PNC rejected the idea of him becoming that groupings Presidential candidate.
If the CADRES poll is to be believed, the PNCR must insist on respect for its electoral support as measured by the numbers of the poll and must not concede towards playing second fiddle to any other party in the coalition- building process.
The PNCR remains the most dominant opposition party in Guyana.  The PNCR therefore should not settle for anything less than being the dominant partner in any peoples’ partnership.
If the CADRES poll is to be believed then the PNCR will bring the greatest number of votes into the coalition and therefore it has to be assured of at least to the leadership position and sixty per cent of the seats in any coalition for without the PNCR, the coalition stands no chance at all.
With such an impressive pre election poll numbers, the PNCR should dismiss all the talk about the need for a change in the leadership of the party.

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