A SUBSTANTIAL NUMBER of Jamaicans do not consider the Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) to be doing a good job, despite its increased numbers in the House.
The party's leader, Edward Seaga, has also been given a more negative than positive rating by Jamaicans.
These results are among the findings of a poll conducted on behalf of The Gleaner Company Ltd. by Don Anderson and his team from Market Research Services Ltd. Fieldwork for the poll was done between January 13 and 23 and involved interviews with some 1,000 persons, aged 18 years and over. The poll has a sample error of plus or minus 3.2 per cent.
Less than 15 per cent of persons interviewed felt that the Opposition was doing a good job while 46 per cent of those polled rated the performance of the party as either poor or very poor. Another 30 per cent considered its performance average.
At the same time, only about 17 per cent of those polled felt that Mr. Seaga was doing a good job. Some 4.7 per cent felt his performance was very good while 12.4 considered it good.
In comparison, 42 per cent gave him a poor or very poor rating, while 29 per cent rated his performance as average.
Comparatively, Mr. Seaga received a less favourable rating than Prime Minister P.J. Patterson whose performance was applauded by 29 per cent of respondents.
The JLP picked up 26 seats to the People's National Party's 34 in the October 16 general election. This makes the current Parliament one of the most evenly balanced in the last three decades.
With its increased strength, the Opposition party has already begun to flex its muscles stalling the passage of a major piece of legislation.
