Pollster hits back at Panday

North America Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) polling director, Vishnu Bisram, has refuted Opposition Leader Basdeo Panday’s charges of bias in its recent poll which showed the PNM routing the UNC in the July 14 Local Gover-nment elections.
            
Denying Panday’s claim that the poll was politicaly  motivated to benefit the ruling PNM, Bisram said: “To describe the organisation as an agent of the PNM is absolutely ridiculous.  It should be noted that when the findings of the NACTA polls showed the UNC ahead in previous elections, the polling organisation was not described as an agent of the PNM.”

Bisram recalled that NACTA had correctly predicted a tie in 1995, a UNC victory in 2000, a tie in 2001, and a PNM win in 2002, and foresaw election results in Guyana in 1992, 1997 and 2001 and in India and New York. Bisram said: “It is very difficult for the UNC to accept that its popular support has fallen to less than 40% after a superb showing of 54% just three years ago.  But instead of attacking NACTA, the UNC should engage in a serious internal analysis of why support is falling very rapidly.” Bisram further explained: “NACTA’s polls are not intended to influence the outcome of an election.”