Maybe it was the motorcade that made it easier for people to attend, since they got to ride in the trucks? There was a Peter Ramsaroop sighting. Maybe the extras were curious PPP/C people? smile emoticon

Who knows. But now I'm actually entertaining the idea that APNU+AFC could win Essequibo. That would be remarkable, but the maths is close.

Last election, AFC+APNU combined got 5000 votes in Essequibo to the PPP's 12000, for 17000 total. Allowing for a larger voters list, there may be 20000 total votes from Essequibo this election. APNU+AFC would need 10000 to win the region. The crowd today was about 4000-5000. You have to figure there might be another 4000-5000 Coalition voters who were sitting at home doing normal Saturday afternoon stuff, since the supporters at the rally were mostly people in their 20s.

If the PPP loses Essequibo that would be historic. IN ANY CASE, PPP ARE GOING TO GET A HISTORIC LOW PERCENTAGE HERE NO MATTER WHAT. I hope they understand the reasons they lost votes. If they take it as simply 'betrayal' or 'misinformation' as the sources of their loss, then that helps no one, least of all them.

The country needs a strong PPP in the corner of poor people, whether in opposition or in govt. The PPP needs to see that they supported too much lawlessness while in power and that a vindictive style of government can only last a limited time because you'll end up with more enemies than friends.

And they need to understand that appealing to ancient racial fears (army/flour/rigging elections etc) gains them nothing.