In the face of assorted projections including decreased chances for Monday's general election, the PP yesterday telegraphed its intent to recapture the Parliament, ending an all-day motorcade through the crucial East-West corridor election battleground, with a scheduled gathering at the Waterfront, Port-of Spain–Parliament's home.
Some PNMItes also declared intent by donning red yesterday. Today, in the final surge ahead of Monday's general election flurry, the last rounds of political chest-thumping emanates from general election contenders, PP and PNM, at Aranguez Savannah and at Eddie Hart grounds respectively–apt venues since the Corridor is the deciding factor and main battleground in producing Monday's winner.
Confirmation of the Corridor's heightened status in the election stakes, comes with intensified campaigning including targetting of perceived rising candidates including PP's Brent Sancho (Toco) and Vasant Bharath (St Joseph).
Preceding yesterday's PP effort to promoting its profile there via motorcade, recent weeks of campaigning have seen posters and media ads giving way to cyberspace promos and billboard battles, paid "conversation" format broadcasts by all and visibility/confidence boosting strategies including motorcades.
The PP, embattled during the terms, after successfully rallying troops since late last year, waged a limited public-meeting campaign in recent weeks, forgoing platform posturing at crowd meetings for more direct public interchanges via staged "conversation" forums (which the PNM also did.)
Though the new approach took time to be absorbed, it gave Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar an expanded opportunity to speak on policy and issues while the PNM's discourse on this via nightly meetings competed for attention with picong and PP-badtalking.
PP's organisation in other respects was spotty (down to yesterday's late motorcade start).
It remains to unfold whether this will manifest in election day machinery which will be the final factor in deciding the winner. PP will be up against PNM's legendary machinery whose productions have been successful in subtracting, to a degree, from leader Keith Rowley's deficiencies.
With respective candidates, a mix of experienced and new–more on PP's side than PNM's–leadership and policy, particularly how T&T will move on in the face of global issues will be the deciding factors.
Persad-Bissessar, verbally battered by Rowley, ILP leader Jack Warner and other opponents, has maintained composure batting on issues. It remains to unfold how much Rowley's increasing smiles since July–following PNM's upward trend–may assist his national stocks.
Also to be seen is how much his manicured profile presented in a television package interview will gell with his more well-known platform profile, grounded on a venting style which (along with PNM's Carnival-style themes) fires up PNMites, though the negative effects of which are regarded apprehensively by non-members.
On Tuesday for instance, while the interview aired, Rowley was on a La Horquetta platform decrying PNMite Peter Taylor in certain terms. Dr Bishnu Ragoonath, (Council for Ethical Political Behaviour) confirmed receipt of complaints about Rowley's controversial remark at a St Augustine meeting where he alluded to use of an umbrella regarding PP and the Treasury.
If PNM's aggressive campaign is sticking to late general secretary Martin Joseph's plan, this projects 23-plus seats, officials said. "Win this for Martin" is being circulated in some PNM circles, they added.
PNM in the last week has fine-tuned St Joseph, now the E-W corridor's key seat along with Toco and La Horquetta, but is highly confident of San Fernando West and Tunapuna where PP's Raziah Ahmed and Wayne Munro are perceived as lagging–hence the shift of focus among marginals to St Joseph, Toco and La Horquetta.
The PP in this week's push also marked its presence in key targeted seats from Toco to San Fernando West. PNM, replying, followed PP in areas, East to West.
Former UNC MP Winston Peters and ex-COP members will have little impact on Monday's outcome as will assorted COP members' lobby, though TFM's Spoilt Ballot lobby and the Warner factor remain to play out.
With both PP and PNM fighting "hard," Monday's outcome–with trends due by 9 pm–will reveal if T&T is comfortable that Rowley is indeed "ready," or to continue with Kamla.