Prime Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis said on Sunday that he was not disappointed by the results of a recent poll that showed his government had lost support by an alarming 18 per cent since being elected to office last May.
The poll conducted by Public Domain indicated that the number of Bahamians generally dissatisfied with the administration has increased by 28 per cent since last May, even as the number of people generally satisfied with the administration has declined by 18 per cent.
The poll also showed that a substantial number of people surveyed now believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. It comes as the administration prepares to mark its one-year anniversary on May 10.
In response, Dr. Minnis said, it is customary for a government to lose support during its first year in office.
“Well, if you look at every poll in the world, governments lose support during the first year. That’s standard,” Dr. Minnis said.
“Let’s look at why. The government makes promises and commitments and the expectation of the people is high. I accept that.
“… You put me in office for five years. I can’t do it all in one year.”
Dr. Minnis said he expected that there would be some level of dissatisfaction and a disgruntled citizenry but he said, he anticipates that their perception of the government will change over time.
“What we stated is what we would deliver,” he said.
“You would see that number going up and the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP’s) numbers would go down.”
Following the release of the results of the poll, PLP Chairman Senator Fred Mitchell said, he believes the government’s inability to manage the country’s finances, problems identifying with the concerns of common people and Bahamians realizing the Free National Movement’s (FNM) “hypocrisy”, have contributed to the level of “malaise” revealed by the poll.
