Nomination day is on Wednesday - and - as we've shown you over the years - it's usually a time for the mass parties to flex their muscle and show how many supporters they can bring out for a purely administrative event - where - really - only 6 persons are needed to nominate a candidate. Still, the mass parties usually try to bring out like six thousand!
But, there can't be any gathering of crowds during COVID so the expectation was that parties would roll out with thick motorcades - to still show some level of mass party muscle.
But, today - in a surprise announcement - the UDP - which has been hard hit by COVID - announced that it will have no motorcades in any of the 31 constituencies. At a virtual National Party Council meting on Saturday - the first where Patrick Faber took the leader's seat - the UDP decided against any big hubbub on nomination day. He explained why in a virtual press conference a few hours ago:
Hon. Patrick Faber, Party Leader, U.D.P.
"It pains us because we live for nomination day. This is an activity where the party can show its muscle and trust me, we are very, very muscled at this time and we can flex that muscle but we are deciding instead to do the safe thing."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"Things in politics as you know have a certain momentum and inertia which is inescapable, but I can almost assure you that if the PUP bring out a motorcade in the morning there is nothing you can do to stop the UDP in their various areas, because it won't be one central place but in their various areas for making impromptu motorcades. This is the nature of how politics work. Really, is there any way to stop the party? You can't have a directive against motorcades. Then it's no party at all."
Hon. Patrick Faber, Party Leader, U.D.P.
"You know you are correct in that this kind of excitement is what is looked for in a campaign. But we must remember that this campaign is not under normal circumstances. We simply cannot be a responsible mass party and say to people listen go out there and join in a motorcade, which will draw crowds to the side of the road to watch, which will have people in vehicles in numbers that we can't control, which will have people drinking and then being irresponsible in terms of the safety measures. There will then take off their masks, they will not social distance."
"We decided as a party that we would not participate in the kind of joyous festive activities, if you will, on nomination day and that our party will do just the bare minimum requirements to get our candidates nominated. The reason we have chosen to do this and we want to make it absolutely clear is merely out of an abundance of caution for the health situation that exists at this time - we understand that the opposition is proposing to put off some motorcades and other activities and we feel that these activities goes contrary to the health regulations, the health expectations of any responsible mass party or any other entity at this time and so we have decided that we will just do the minimum that is required that is taking our 6 electors to go and nominate our candidates at the various different nomination stations across the country."
