It was clear there was more than one reason that yesterday was truly Private Members' Day in Parliament–the day for Opposition business. And the Opposition didn't hesitate to show it.
Fresh from holding UNC ground in Monday's Local Government polls, some UNC MPs sported the party colour, orange. They gave Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar a desk-thumping welcome when she entered the chamber. (Until the House Speaker demanded order).
The Opposition bench featured new seating. Some MPs who had co-ordinated campaigns, were "promoted" up the bench. COP MP Prakash Ramadhar–whose party fought the UNC and lost badly–was "pelted" to the front bench's last seat.
Lest yesterday's rather subdued Government side forgot the narrowness of its victory in Monday's results, UNC MP Rudy Indarsingh loaned a reminder.
"You teach your leader how to steups!" Indarsingh quipped to PNM's Randall Mitchell, referring to Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley's infamous reaction to Newsday queries on "PNM rejection".
Government got retorts in: Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi's acerbic replies to Opposition queries and ministerial statements spotlighting past PP administration issues.
But UNC MP Fazal Karim sought a final word, declaring in debate: "You can't forget the people anymore as it was shown a few days ago! Don't take our citizens for granted anymore. That was the message sent!"
So UNC has celebrated. Staving off PNM's targeting of its Chaguanas and Siparia corporations particularly. Recovering some seats. Supporters' high turnout in UNC areas, trumping lower turnout in PNM strongholds, especially Diego Martin and Port-of-Spain.
PNM local government campaign manger/chairman Franklin Khan won PNM's local government war but lost the party's Siparia battle which he co-ordinated. His work, however, yielded big gains. PNM votes totalled 14,105 to UNC's 14,934.
"Noted. Being managed," UNC MP Suruj Rambachan says.
PNM deputy leader Rohan Sinanan failed to materialise Rowley's confident boast that the party had "half of Sangre Grande" and would have won the other half. The National Solidarity Assembly's 359 votes gave the PNM's 10,582 votes the edge to UNC's 10,408.
(Nor was Rowley's campaign promise kept that he would "put such a licking on Opposition leader, he'd be accused of domestic violence." Good thing, since it has drawn frowns on domestic violence issues).
While UNC's base responded, it isn't reason for complacency. UNC focused on strongholds and recovered former ILP/COP supporters such as in St Joseph. But PNM came close in Siparia, held Tunapuna's Caura, (once PP/COP) and showed high figures in some seats in Couva and Chaguanas (UNC's highest take.)
Whether placebo or permanent "push", results gave the Opposition and Persad-Bissessar's leadership a much needed fillip.
Less so for PNM experiencing a wake-up call, sliding from eight to seven corporations, tying with UNC in Sangre Grande.
While Rowley defended the fall-off of support as an eight per cent drop compared to PNM's 2013 local government win, he also noted that the 2013 local government election turnout of about 41 per cent was unusually high.
While the PNM maintained its north strongholds, party insiders' acknowledged that voter turnout there was low compared to UNC-held areas and the party must attend to homeground, including San Juan/Laventille and Tunapuna, where some returned to the UNC. They've red flagged low turnout spots such as the Diego Martin areas of Rowley and Finance Minister Colm Imbert.
That the UNC hardly made gains there may be cold comfort to PNM as seen in reactions.
Nobody compared Rowley's recent complaint about "media misinformation" to US President-elect Donald Trump's recent dressing down of US media jefes, but Rowley's displeasure signalled sensitivity on results.
Indeed, he admitted to not wanting to discuss Newsday's queries on Monday about "rejection" of the PNM–a valid question considering PNM areas' low turnout and that UNC maintained turf PNM had targetted.
Some PNM planners, struck by UNC turnout, said there had been no sign of heavy UNC movement in some areas but "it was like you whistle and everybody came out."
They are dissecting UNC's strategy: combination of economic survival issues currently relevant, "PNM coldness" and UNC's poster blitz (a grinning) Imbert) portraying lack of Government empathy amid the financial crunch.
Rowley described PNM's win as "handsome" considering T&T's difficult circumstances, acknowledging that many weren't pleased with their circumstances. But PNM planners say the party cannot sit on the limited laurels of this victory, must heed the low turnout and show more empathy.
How that tempers Government's future financial planning–and further expected gasoline hikes–remains to unfold since financial circumstances are tight. How PNM's narrow victory impacts on upcoming Tobago House of Assembly elections also lies ahead. Several parties are challenging PNM which suffered deep divisions in the June Tobago Council elections.
Monday's results yielded basis for the PNM and UNC to plan towards 2019 local government polls, whose results will inform each party's 2020 general election planning.
How well they use Monday's "messages" will be seen as they move hereon.