Supporters of the United National Congress (UNC) ’do not believe’ the Opposition party, ’under the present political configuration, can ever come back into government’, the findings of the latest poll conducted by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association (NACTA) have revealed.

NACTA issued a release, noting that its poll was conducted in mid-October and also showed that a vast majority of its 580 participants believe that both Panday and Congress of the People (COP) political leader Winston Dookeran should step down as the leaders of their respective parties.

’They feel Panday should make way for new leadership. Voters in the UNC heartland said Jack Warner, or Kamla Persad-Bissessar, or Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj stand a better chance in uniting the factionalised opposition to take it into government,’ NACTA stated.

NACTA said its poll was conducted by Vishnu Bisram, who ’interviewed 580 people nationally (of whom 300 were from traditional UNC strongholds) to represent the demographics of the population to find out their views about internal politics of the opposition’.

’Within the UNC heartland, 88 per cent said it is time for Panday and 90 per cent for Winston Dookeran to ride into the sunset, serving as advisers to a united opposition. They blame Panday for the ’political bacchanal’ in the UNC and Dookeran for rift in the COP, and the two of them for lack of unity in the opposition,’ NACTA stated.

Contacted for comment last evening, Panday said NACTA’s polls ’are available a dime a dozen’.

’They produce whatever result whoever is paying them would like to see. They are totally without creditability,’ Panday said.

Also contacted for comment, Dookeran said of the NACTA poll: ’Whatever it says, whether it is for or against me, it is generally known that it is a politically inspired poll.’

NACTA stated its poll’s findings show ’if free and fair elections’ in the UNC were to be held, ’the RamJack faction (in the UNC led by Maharaj and Warner) will emerge victorious for control of the executive because they are the only MPs who are seen as genuinely battling on behalf of the opposition’.

It also found that support for Panday in the Couva North constituency he represents ’has been slipping badly so much’ that his hold on the seat is questionable.

’Voters are switching to RamJack, saying dissident MP Jack Warner of Chaguanas West has provided more services to and spends time with them in a few months than Panday did in 30 years,’ the NACTA stated.

To this, Panday said, ’When the elections come, we go see.’