By KHRISNA RUSSELL
Deputy Chief Reporter
krussell@tribunemedia.net
THE Progressive Liberal Party is not surprised by Public Domain’s poll highlighting the growing dissatisfaction Bahamians have in the Minnis administration since the 2017 general election, party Chairman Senator Fred Mitchell said yesterday.
Mr Mitchell said he believed the government’s inability to manage the country’s finances, problems identifying with the concerns of common people and Bahamians realising the Free National Movement’s “hypocrisy,” have contributed to the level of “malaise” revealed by the poll.
It found fewer than 50 percent of Bahamians are generally satisfied with the government’s performance.
“The results are broadly similar to our own private polls tracking these matters,” the chairman said in a statement yesterday. “The anecdotal evidence is everywhere to be seen and heard.
“When you disaggregate the opinions, it appears that the independent voters have shifted back to their studied positions. The PLP’s base is completely fed up. Together they appear to make up the majority who are dissatisfied.”
He continued: “Our private soundings tell us that three things come up that account for the level of malaise: the inability of the government to manage the country’s finances; the inability to identify with common people’s concerns; and the hypocrisy that has been uncovered in light of the deceit and untruths of the campaign that have been revealed.
“The PLP is aware of the vagaries of polls and how they ebb and flow. We are concentrating on rebuilding and the fundamentals of the structure for a modern party ready to govern on day one; one voter at a time.”
According to the poll – conducted by the private research firm and released to the media on Wednesday – the number of Bahamians generally dissatisfied with the administration has increased by 28 per cent since last May even as the number of people generally satisfied with the administration has declined by 18 per cent.
The poll also shows a substantial number of people surveyed now believe the country is headed in the wrong direction.
The poll was conducted from March 15 to April 7 and relies on a random, weighed sample of 1,000 Bahamians. It comes as the administration prepares to mark its one year anniversary on May 10.
Respondents were asked: “How satisfied are you with the current government?”
To this question, 12 percent of respondents said they are very satisfied with the Minnis administration; 35 percent said they are somewhat satisfied; 16 percent said they are very dissatisfied with the administration and 17 percent said they are somewhat dissatisfied in the administration.
Twenty-one per cent of respondents did not know or answer the question.
By contrast, in a November 2017 survey by Public Domain, 14 percent were very satisfied with the administration, 42 percent were somewhat satisfied, 13 percent were very dissatisfied, 15 percent were somewhat dissatisfied and 16 percent did not know or answer the question.
In the group’s May poll, 65 percent of respondents were generally satisfied in the government and only five percent at the time were generally not satisfied.
The FNM won the 2017 general election with 57 percent of the vote.
Joey Gaskins, an adjunct lecturer of sociology at the University of the Bahamas and a senior communications and policy strategist for Public Domain, said the numbers highlight “slippage in support” for the government.
He noted in a press release: “I don’t believe the slippage is permanent and there is still time to recover. But, one thing our polling over the last seven years has taught us is that once the Bahamian people form negative attitudes toward an administration they stop listening, and once they stop listening, it is very difficult to regain their support.”
Comments
proudloudandfnm 6 years ago
Yes. Almost as fed up as they are in the PLP....
You are a huge part of the problem Fred. You and Brave and Glenys.
Retire. Do it for your country. Get out and stay out. All of you...
stillwaters 6 years ago
No, I'm not real pleased with the FNM right now, but I sure as hell don't want to see the lying, tiefin', corrupt PLP back in power!!!!!!
ThisIsOurs 6 years ago
Neither do I, but if election were held tomorrow, I'm going to the beach with Rodney. Peter and Paul
stillwaters 6 years ago
And Fred, we don't stop listening , just not to people like you!!!!!!!
Dawes 6 years ago
Might be a bit dissatisfied with the FNM, but that is no where near the complete revulsion i feel for the current leaders of the PLP, as you lot are a major reason for the state we are in (Cooper not included as he is new, however due to who he is associated with it won't take much for him to be included).
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
I'm confused. Can't figure out which one is the pot and which is the kettle.
themessenger 6 years ago
Mr. irrelevant still striving for relevance............
Well_mudda_take_sic 6 years ago
Let's all at least get one thing straight - WHILE FRED MITCHELL THINKS HE'S GOD'S GIFT TO MAN KIND, HE IS IN FACT NOTHING BUT A DELUSIONAL AND SERIOUSLY WARPED CREEP!
rawbahamian 6 years ago
Fred Mitchel is a legend in his own little power hungry mind who aspires to be the dictator of the Bahamas !!!
TigerB 6 years ago
They forget real easily.. hehehe
TalRussell 6 years ago
Ma Comrades, the PLP's voice officially was taken off the air at the very moment the first, 10th May, 2017 general election results started pouring in from the Centerville, Fox Hill and Marathon constituencies. But still the peoples voices is without representation when the voices the 91,409 voters marking their X's next red names to replace their former 2012 voices - seem so unprepared in 2017 to govern.
OMG 6 years ago
Mismanagement of funds, my God the PLP were experts and left such a mess that no government can wave a magic wand and sort of the mess overnight. Lets see Fweddy, All the political hires just before the election, The giving out of contracts without bids, the non payment of utilities by privileged members or Parliarment mad schemes such as clearing and ripping land in Palmetto Point for a hospital that the country couldn't afford and remains a mountain of curry. The list goes on and on- you have a nerve to even open your mouth.
bogart 6 years ago
IN THE NATIONAL REFERENDUM ON GAMBLING THE MAJORITY OF LAW ABIDING GOD FEARING BAHAMIANS VOTED AGAINST IT .....BUT THE GOVT CHOSE TO GO AGAINST GOD'S PEOPLE.....
sealice 6 years ago
HOW DO THEY FEEL JUSTIFIED IN SAYING THIS WHEN HES ONE OF THE BIGGEST POLITICAL HYPOCRITES EVER?
realfreethinker 6 years ago
What a fucking buffoon. He and BFB must be related or the same person.The plp has no credibility to speak on any financial matters in the Bahamas.
hrysippus 6 years ago
Flyin' Fweddy Pudding and pie, Kissed the boys and made them cry, When the girls came out to play Flyin' Fweddy ran away.
joeblow 6 years ago
Fred has finally figured why they lost the government, he just can't get himself to substitute the words PLP where he says FNM. At least he's making progress!
Economist 6 years ago
What the PLP can take from the above comments is that they are even more unpopular than the current government.
birdiestrachan 6 years ago
The PLP Government is responsible for all the visionary ideas in the Bahamas. but the masterful FNM liars will never admit this truth.
The lies that they are thieves is just not true. and history will record the Truth. The FNM Government will always give the Bahamas away to foreigners for a bowl of porridge. check their records. They never seek to advance Bahamians.
Pay attention to OBAN and who will benefit. doc said when the FNM won the election there was a calm in the Bahamas. It was more like doom and gloom. Byers remorse. so to all of the people time voters enjoy. enjoy the FNM government and what ever they do. you folks are so deserving.
Empiricist 6 years ago
It is naive and unprofessional to look at the results of such an unscientific poll and draw any conclusions without first including similar questions about the PLP. Please sour losers let the FNM have their turn and term. The only poll that matters is the Ballot Box poll.
birdiestrachan 6 years ago
let me add this black folks do not like to see other black folks with anything at all. Others may have. That is why people from other countries Haitians, Chinese and others will very soon have the economic poor and Bahamians very soon will be on the outside looking in. The hand writing is on the wall.
Note after all these years few Black people have economic power The removable property act was removed by what Government??
EasternGate 6 years ago
Why this piece of shit don't flush himself!
TheMadHatter 6 years ago
How can he show his face in public after letting the Chinese take over The Jungle Club which was the hangout for his own supporters and stands right in front of his face while he gives his little speeches on the triangle at the end of Bernard Road?
That club was for his Bahamian supporters. I guess they thanked him for his betrayal on May 10th.
Apostle 6 years ago
Fred Mitchell lacks the credibility to lecture me or the Minnis administration about ratings. Those ratings were done by PLPs for their own self appeasement.
The PLP messed up this country's finances, but every bad highlight they try to spin on the FNM. This country will never be any better as long as we have the likes of venomous Fred in the forefront of politics. He just needs to sit down and shut the hell up.
EasternGate 6 years ago
Spot on!
ThisIsOurs 6 years ago
:) I was just telling someone yesterday that there's one thing Ill always remember from a PM course I did some years ago, "invite your loudest critic in", get them involved in the work, now success is partly on them. also you get to have a look at all of their issues, which should cover the other complainers concerns. Excluding the complainers is not the way to win. They might actually be saying relevant stuff.
As to the ratings being done by PLPs, this the same firm that told the PLP they were in trouble. And the PLP said "oh no no, people just don't know all the good things were doing", "dead good news around the corner", sound familiar?
sheeprunner12 6 years ago
Fweddy should just take his sissy ass and go and live forever in San Francisco with his sissy partner .......... His Bahamian political dreams are over and he has NOTHING left to offer this country.
SP 6 years ago
Unquestionably, people are tuned out of Fred Mitchell. He has no soapbox to stand on and needs to GO AWAY!
Everybodys' jumping all over the PLP for messing up the country seem to have conveniently forgotten that the FNM governed 15 years under Ingraham, and is responsible for far more irreparable damage to the country than the PLP governed 10 years under Christie!
Christie and Ingraham were colossal failures that covered up and watched each other's backs while a handful of pirates ran away with the peoples' natural resources. They are equally guilty of nurturing a culture of endemic corruption, which destroyed the country, marginalized Bahamians, and favored foreigners even when qualified Bahamians were available.
Regardless which of the dumb and dumber couple did more damage, we the people are totally fed up with the PLP and FNM.
It is way past time for the country to move away from these greedy, tribal, equally corrupt parties, and look for a new group without ties to corrupt pirates that have mislead the country for 7 decades.
BaronInvest 6 years ago
The first thing that comes into my mind when i read that twat's name is "Investors, bring money - shut up". And then i get this little smile because i already pulled out everything from the Bahamas a year ago while at the same time i feel sorry for all the people that still have to deal with that stupid prick.
ThisIsOurs 6 years ago
I'm agreeing with you on the first statement. Yes we need investirs and foreign involvement but we've been using them as a crutch for 50 years. We need to start investing in Bahamian education and innovation, it's the only way we will grow because when the grass gets lil patchy the foreign investor will always leave, their first concern will always be the money, as it should be, this Bahamas is just an "investment" for them.
sheeprunner12 6 years ago
BaronInvest ........ you are not smart ...... you are a national traitor
bogart 6 years ago
Yes we do need investors.....we offer them opportunities for both of us to prosper....politivians parley our birthright ... .....employment is created as things unfold ancilliary jobs are provided as employees buy products and services ....beneficiaries have money borrow from banks and profits leave country.....in between some investors inevitably make the error of playing politics openly or secretly and prolong the errors or deny the citizens rightful governance....
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