President Ali’s approval rating 72 per cent

IT is just over four months since President Irfaan Ali was sworn in on August 2. A poll being conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) reveals very high ratings for Ali and his government on their performance.

They are among the highest ratings for a President since surveys were conducted going back to the 1980s, when the country was reeling from mass poverty and near starvation-like conditions.

The latest poll conducted from November 8 to coincide with first 100 days in office, through now, shows that Guyanese of all ethnicities are very satisfied with the performance of the Ali- led administration. Respondents express a lot of confidence in the administration to rebuild the wrecked economy inherited from the APNU-led coalition.

It is generally felt that if what took place over the last 17 weeks is a harbinger of what is to come, the country is expected to make significant progress over the rest of the PPP five-year tenure resulting from the last election.

The ongoing poll is being conducted by Dr. Vishnu Bisram, who has been doing field research in Guyana going back to the 1980s. Guyanese were asked a number of questions relating to current issues. The survey interviewed 600 respondents (41 per cent Indians, 30 per cent Africans, 18 per cent Mixed, 10 per cent Amerindians, and one per cent others) to reflect the demographic composition of the population.

Polling data and interviews with respondents suggest that there is optimism in the future of the country under this administration. Not only are the government the President doing well in their approval ratings, but people’s lives are also improving through government initiatives, grants, and prompt responses to complaints.

People condemn the attempt to rig the outcome of the March 2020 elections and feel that GECOM must be cleansed of attempted riggers. They are supportive of prosecuting those involved in rigging. They want GECOM to be reformed and cleansed to prevent future rigging.

Respondents also overwhelmingly condemn the racial violence in West Berbice and those political figures behind it.

The Ali government has seized the opportunity right after being sworn in, grounding with the people and addressing their basic needs. The President quickly set the direction of the new government. He has accomplished most of his 100 day promises. People are very supportive of the President’s decision to take government to the people and of interacting with communities.

Ministers are grounding with the people, something that was missing among most ministers under the coalition and the public applauds this initiative.

Respondents describe the government’s performance as superior to the preceding coalition. Many who did not vote for the PPP welcome the change in government that took place on August 2, because of the progress being made since then and they also condemn those previous ministers and bureaucrats who attempted to steal the elections. They praise the U.S. involvement to protect the outcome of the elections, and they overwhelmingly approve of the visit to Guyana by the American Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo.

They support closer relations with America, saying it will bring development and progress to the country. Some even say Guyana should enter into an alliance with America.

They also express support for the reopening of GuySuCo, praising the PPP for honouring a manifesto promise that would create jobs and lead to greater circulation of money, while also boosting economic growth. But on Exxon, they would have liked for the oil contract to be re-visited.

They welcome the oil exploration and investment, but feel that Guyana deserves more than two per cent royalty. They blame the APNU-led coalition for what they describe as a blunder in the contract negotiation. The nation overwhelmingly feels that the nation has been deprived of a fair amount of royalty. They say it was a poor deal. “We didn’t bargain for right amount,” aptly described the national view.

Asked to identify the most serious problems facing the government, uppermost in people’s minds are crime, COVID and the economy (cost of living and joblessness) followed by race relations, the infrastructure, agriculture, health and political instability, among others. They feel that government needs to do more on the crime front.

A large majority of respondents are thankful that the coalition is gone, describing it as a burden on the backs of the working class and poor, taxing people on almost everything, and lack of accountability. They praise the government for being very active in the fight against COVID and on health care. Almost everyone praises the PPP for the $25K COVID grant per household.

The ministers are saluted for being out front on issues pertaining to housing, education, the infrastructure, information, forestry, mining, oil, gas, agriculture, local government, and other matters that are critical to an improved lifestyle, growth, and job creation. People feel their lives are getting better since the change in administration. They support the re-opening of sugar estates to boost the economy and to create jobs.

The President has a very high approval rating (72 per cent), bettering that of his government (69 per cent). The poll has a margin of error of four per cent. The President has one of the lowest disapproval ratings in history, bettering predecessors by far – an indication of how supportive people are of the President at this time. The Opposition Leader Joe Harmon, trails in ratings.

All of the ministers have been praised for their activism and performance. Almost everyone describes Attorney General Anil Nandlall as “The Best” or “Most Outstanding” minister. Some other ministers also came in for special praise for interacting with the public: Collin Croal, Zulfikar Mustapha, Susan Rodrigues, Nigel Dharamlall, Deodat Indar, Vickram Bharrat, Vindya Persaud, Joe Hamilton, Frank Anthony and Bishop Edghill, among others.

The Ministry of Information also came in for kudos for public disclosure of government undertakings and for the professional manner in which state media are managed.

Respondents say Attorney General Nandlall and Timothy Jonas are deserving of Silk (Senior Counsel) status. They were outstanding during the legal battle against the electoral fraud and in explaining the election legalese lingo to the public.
Overall, people say they are impressed with how much President Ali has learned and accomplished in his first four months in office. But they advise that he does not ease up on his performance, as much work remains to be done.