Yesterday’s People’s Partnership motorcade through the East-West corridor, which attracted scores of supporters along the route, also encountered picong from some PNMites along the way.

The main form of heckling directed at Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar was the People’s National Movement’s campaign song “Bye Bye, Kamla,” which was sung by pockets of PNMites outside campaign offices in the eastern regions.

The motorcade was geared towards promoting the governing PP’s profile in the East-West corridor, the main battleground for Monday’s general election.

While the PP took to the corridor electorate via vehicles, the Opposition PNM also raised its election profile after earlier this week calling on members of the public to wear red yesterday ahead of Monday’s election. This call was heeded by PNMites in various parts of the East-West corridor and was visible in Port-of-Spain also.

Yesterday’s events were a build-up to today’s rallies by the PP, PNM and Independent Liberal Party (ILP) in the final surge of activity ahead of Monday’s election. 

By yesterday evening, stages, tents and other structures were already in place at Aranguez Savannah, San Juan, for the PP’s final rally today. The arrangements featured a similar layout to what the PP used in 2010 when it won that general election.

The PNM’s stage construction and other preparations were also in the final stages at Eddie Hart Grounds, Tacarigua. On this occasion the stage is closer to the Priority Bus Route and faces south, unlike other election rallies when it was close to the south and faced north.

The ILP is holding a Central Trinidad rally today as well.

Yesterday’s yellow-themed PP motorcade in which the PM participated, which was due to have left Sangre Grande around 10.30 am, didn’t get going until around noon heading west in a cavalcade of huge trailer trucks, music trucks, yellow-painted jeeps and vans, maxi taxis and cars filled with supporters, blaring music. 

The line of vehicles began from the PP offices of Toco/Sangre Grande candidate Brent Sancho. One of the co-ordinators, UNC deputy leader Roodal Moonilal, said the motorcade was scheduled to pass through Arima, Tunapuna, St Augustine/Curepe, St Joseph, San Juan, Morvant Junction and end at the Waterfront in Port-of-Spain, where a brief gathering was to be held.

As the motorcade made its way out of Sangre Grande, groups of UNC supporters—of all ages—alongside the road, in galleries, and outside some businesses waved flags of support to the vehicles, hoping for a glimpse of the PM. PP Minister Christine Newallo-Hosein and other officials in the lead truck waved to supporters. UNC officials and aides in some vehicles tossed UNC jerseys, whistles, horns and other PP paraphernalia to supporters along the way. 

As the procession passed the Sangre Grande offices of PNM candidate Glenda Jennings-Smith, some of her supporters looked out at the PP motorcade. Further down the road, some red-clad PNMites swayed to the calypso from the PP trucks—but pointedly made it clear they were voting PNM.

Passing through the Arima location, Congress of the People MP Rodger Samuel joined Hosein on the truck platforms, waving to spectators and supporters in the town. 

Arima Mayor George Hadeed—campaign manager of PNM’s D’Abadie candidate Ancil Antoine—walked through the spectators looking at the procession.

Hadeed, wearing a red PNM shirt, shook hands jovially with Samuel. But one of Hadeed’s relatives, outside a store, watched the motorcade, humming the PNM’s “Bye Bye Kamla” song.

A number of PNM supporters wearing red jerseys also looked on. As the procession passed along Queen Street, a couple of people held up red PNM T-shirts to the PP groups.

Several youths in the area were also photographed stomping on yellow PP jerseys on the ground.

At the end of one block, a man waved a PNM flag at the vehicles as they passed and he and two other PNM supporters subsequently began tossing remarks vigorously at the passing PP convoy and giving them the thumbs-down. 

Occupants of the PP vehicles didn’t react and UNC executive officials in one vehicle to whom some of the remarks were directed simply laughed it off.

Less hostile rivalry occurred between flag bearers of the PNM, COP and PP, who did a “wave-off” of sorts on one street.

Further into Arima, between Queen and Farfan Streets, a PNM music truck—which had been silent when the convoy entered Arima—blared “Bye Bye Kamla” to compete with the PP’s music as vehicles passed.

Long wait for some

Later along the way, the motorcade slowed as it encountered groups of COP and other supporters outside of Arima, heading into D’Abadie.

By the time the motorcade reached Lopinot around 4 pm, some supporters along that leg said they had been waiting almost four hours to see the motorcade.

Persad-Bissessar, who joined other candidates including the COP’s Wendell Eversely on a van, distributed jerseys to groups of people who clustered around the vehicle. A group of KFC employees gathered outside the compound to take pictures of the PM.

Commenting briefly on how she felt, Persad-Bissessar said, “Excellent....” Dressed in yellow shirt, cap and dark glasses against the glaring sunshine, the PM gave out jerseys and gave a thumbs-up. 

Along the way, pockets and groups of PNMites outside PNM campaign offices in Arouca/Maloney, Tunapuna, Bon Air and Mt Lambert heckled the PM by singing the “Bye Bye Kamla” song as the motorcade passed.

She was joined by other PP candidates Lincoln Douglas, Wayne Munroe, COP leader Prakash Ramadhar and Patricia Metivier as the motorcade made its way through the respective areas they were contesting. The motorcade slowed as at it reached the Barataria/San Juan constituency by 7.45 pm and reached the Waterfront close to 9 pm.