NACTA confounds its critics

THE EDITOR: The outcome of the local government election was widely expected and therefore should come as no surprise to anyone. The widely published findings of the NACTA poll and its several follow up tracking polls clearly indicated this trend in the country, the position of the leadership of Mr Manning as compared to Mr Panday and the withdrawal of support from Mr Panday and the UNC in their strongholds.

NACTA findings were constantly referred to by columnists, in editorials and used by political analysts to assess likely outcome in the local election. This undoubtedly was a reason for the leadership of the UNC to direct attacks on NACTA and its co-ordinator Mr Vishnu Bisram. He was not alone. UNC also attacked the views of Dr John La Guerre and Dr Kirk Meighoo on the likely fortunes of the UNC. Thus instead of being the wiser for these views and findings, the UNC choose to kill the messengers. Mr Bisram and NACTA came in for special criticism by Mr Panday and other UNC members of Parliament. His findings were dismissed and all kinds of motives were attributed to him and the poll. Even on election night, Mr Ramnath accused NACTA of having an agenda. It became necessary for NACTA to issue a response to the attacks by the UNC.

NACTA predictions have been proven to be most accurate. I have a report which was made available on Sunday 10 and which was supposed to be carried in the press. It indicated very accurately the outcome of the local government election and the picture in the UNC stronghold. NACTA has been vindicated and the practice of opinion polls has now a secure place in Trinidad political milieu because of NACTA. NACTA went beyond dry figures and sought explanations for the political opinions expressed by the electorate. It was especially revealing on the leadership of Basdeo Panday and the UNC. They need now to revisit these findings in the face of this defeat. Failure to address these findings properly will concretise this decline and one does not need another NACTA poll to indicate the outcome, especially in another general election.

KHASTRA SINGH
Couva