Brian Bonitto, Ja Editor - Overseas publications

( L - R ) Little-white and Smith

WHERE HAVE all the flowers gone? It seems that the days of wine and roses have become fewer for Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller since her inauguration in March last year. However, she has still been able to woo the support of the masses to maintain a clear lead over her contender, according to the latest Gleaner-commissioned Bill Johnson poll.

Opposition Leader Bruce Golding too has been viewed in a positive light and has seen an increasing number of Jamaicans looking in his direction, but the love for him needs a rekindling, as he lost a couple of percentage points in January this year when compared to last October.

At the beginning of the romance, 63 per cent of respondents were swept off their feet by the Prime Minister. But 10 months later, that love has withered by 21 percentage points, even though she has been able to keep 42 per cent of the respondents in her corner.

Communication is key

Like any successful relationship, communication is key. But, unfortunately, there has been a breakdown in this regard, according to both political analyst Lloyd B. Smith and relationship expert Dr. Heather Little-White.

"Portia Simpson Miller was a person who related directly to the people," said Mr. Smith. "But since taking office, she has become somewhat alienated."

Dr. Little-White thinks so too. She believes that the lines of communication between the Prime Minister and the citizenry need to be strengthened.

"She has the ability to connect to the masses, being a charismatic leader, but may be bogged down with prime ministerial duties," reasoned Dr. Little-White.

So, what else could have contributed to love lost between the PM and the people?

"Unrealistic expectations!" declared Dr. Orville Taylor, senior lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Psychology and Social Work at the University of the West Indies.

He is of the view that with the euphoria surrounding the selection of Mrs. Portia Simpson Miller as Prime Minister over, reality has now set in. "Because she was the first female Prime Minister - a historic achievement - people expected a whole lot. I think they had unreasonable and unrealistic expectations of her. And, the downward trend being experienced, that's reality setting in," Dr. Taylor said.

Old-time politics

Mr. Smith points to the scandals that have rocked the Portia Simpson Miller-led administration; with Jamaicans being turned off by "old-time politics" and her delay in "cleaning up her house".

"That's the reason, too, why Bruce [Golding] has not sufficiently benefited from the Prime Minister's loss," Mr. Smith said.

According to the poll, which has a plus or minus three per cent margin of error, Mr. Golding has seen a significant increase of 10 percentage points from March last year to January this year. But, he lost two percentage points in January when compared with October figures.

Mr. Smith believes that Golding's return to head a garrison constituency, in addition to some of his earlier pronouncements, are factors working against him.

"Both (leaders) have not sufficiently captured the imagination of the majority of Jamaicans. People want change," Mr. Smith added.

But all is not lost, as there is a growing number of "uncommitted" Jamaicans who are still searching for "Mr Right" or "Ms. Right" before the general election, which is constitutionally due by October.

In the meantime, Dr. Little-White has high hopes that the Prime Minister's popularity will rebound. She believes that based on the PM's personality, she will reconnect with the people once she is back on the road and the romance will bloom again.

The polls were conducted on January 5 and 6 of this year and surveyed 1,008 respondents across 84 communities islandwide.