Sport and Youth Affairs Minister Anil Roberts says the drop in ratings for Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was no cause for concern. A recent poll gave the PM a 54 per cent rate of approval, down from 68 per cent. Roberts said with a 54 per cent approval the Government would win the next general election if it was called soon. He was speaking at a news conference at his Abercromby Street, Port-of-Spain, office yesterday.
He insisted governance was not about a popularity contest and that polls did not win elections. He said the population must see the benefit of the measures being implemented. He said the drop in popularity would have resulted from harsh and necessary decisions being implemented by the Government.
Roberts said, however, the Government would be taking note of the polls. He said despite contrary reports the Congress of the People (COP) was fully committed to the People's Partnership (PP) and a large turnout of COP members were expected to assemble at the coalition's first anniversary celebrations today at Mid Centre Mall, Chaguanas. Roberts said while the crime rate was reducing "it is nothing to bang your chest about." He said there remained the need for much more to be done. On his bid to replace Winston Dookeran as political leader of the COP, Roberts said he would never attack his leader. He dared anyone to produce evidence to support that claim.
Roberts said he remained very proud of Dookeran's "ideas, his philosophy, his new politics and his principles of governance." He said he was not about to rewrite anything Dookeran had done. He added: "You always go through peaks and valleys of performance. You cannot operate at your optimum all of the time. The Congress of the People needs a new energy, our supporters need to be revitalised, re-energised."