THE political significance of former allies Bruce Golding and Edward Seaga appearing together on a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) platform in March seemed to have been lost on the majority of voting age Jamaicans and was really only followed by a minority in urban areas and persons interested in the relationship between both men, a survey done for the Observer has shown.

Following significant media attention given to Golding’s and Seaga’s participation in a March forum on government corruption staged by G2K, the JLP’s think tank of young professionals, the Stone Polling Organisation sought the views of Jamaicans on the development.

“… the poll findings revealed that it was mostly followed by those in the urban areas and those disposed to watching the continuing saga of Seaga/Golding,” Stone said.

Almost 47 per cent of respondents had no view, 19 per cent described the development as “good” and said that Seaga and Golding would make an unbeatable team, while 10.5 per cent felt that it was “just a political move” designed to find out how people would react.

Eight per cent felt that the foundation was being laid for Golding’s return to the JLP, 6.3 per cent saw that possibility but said Golding should stay away from the party, while six per cent were of the view that Golding would eventually take over the leadership of the Opposition party from Seaga.

When Golding walked out of the JLP in 1995 at the height of a bitter leadership row between Seaga and dissidents, he was the party’s chairman and widely regarded as the man who would succeed Seaga.

He formed the National Democratic Movement (NDM) that year on a platform promoting constitutional change to end the tribal nature of Jamaica’s politics.

However, he resigned as NDM leader after the party’s poor showing in a parliamentary by-election in North East St Ann last year March, arguing that his political past contributed to the NDM’s failure to gain traction with voters.

Since then, Observer/Stone Polls have found significant public support for his return to the JLP, although he has repeatedly said that there still remained fundamental differences between himself and the JLP.

The Stone survey quizzed 602 voting age adults in 28 communities in Jamaica’s 14 parishes. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 per cent.

Stone comment:

With the high media coverage given to the appearance of Seaga and Golding on the G2K platform and the discussions which followed the event on the various talk shows, the poll findings revealed that it was mostly followed by those in the urban areas and those disposed to watching the continuing saga of Seaga/Golding.

Only 32.9 per cent of our respondents say they saw, heard or read of the event.

When we placed before our respondents what took place at the gathering with Seaga and Golding and posed the question as to what were the general views, the responses, as generated above, were received.

Question

How do you view former JLP chairman, Bruce Golding, and JLP leader, Edward Seaga, appearing/talking on the same platform and seeming to agree on certain policy positions? What is your general view of this?

Answers

Good. They would make an unbeatable team……………………………………………………….18.9%

It’s just a political move to test the waters….10.5%

They are making plans for Golding’s return…8.0%

Possibility of Golding’s return. He should never return to the JLP………………………………………..6.3%

Golding will eventually take over from Seaga……………………………………………………….6.0%

Other views………………………………………………3.6%

Don’t know…………………………………………….46.9%