Tonight the Leader of the Opposition John Briceno is either on the cusp of history, or humiliation; he will either be the Moses that led his long suffering party to the political promised land, or the false prophet who led them to a wasteland.
Stakes are high - but when the media spoke to Briceno via zoom today - he was calm and collected. He said his party has done the work, and now the rest is up to the people:
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"You're on the cusp of what for you has to be a make or break election. You have said if you don't win you'll resign."
John Briceno, PUP Leader
"But yes, if I'm not successful it is obvious then it's time for the party to find a new leader. At this time as I said we have put in all the hard work. I believe that the people of this country is going to give the PUP an opportunity to lead for the next 5 years."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"From your electoral history dating back to the early 90s, this has to be the strangest election ever. All the rules are now upside down. What has your campaign like?"
John Briceno, PUP Leader
"Well, you're telling me that I look relax, I don't look beat up right now because if it was under regular circumstances I'd have been running all over the country and whenever you go at a constituency they want me to go to every community. I remember in one instance I did 16 villages in one day and you know what that does to your body. So, it's almost surreal."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"One more extremely strange contradictory reality of this election is that some people will be forced by law to stay home and you've already address that in previous interviews that you would have wished it otherwise, but it is what it is and 1,700 people - we don't know how many of them are registered voters, but a substantial amount of that we imagine can't legally vote. Then you have the persons affected by flood, we think especially of those in the Cayo West area. We know one polling station had to be moved. We think in the Cayo North area as well where the flooding has been so heavy. How significantly will the confluence of these two events Covid19 and the Eta floods affect the turnout at the election?"
John Briceno, PUP Leader
"Covid19 as it is was already something that we were very concern of and I wasn't even thinking about the people that would not be able to vote. I was more thinking that some people are genuinely scared, so we have gone to great lengths to point out how people are going to vote safely. But of the 1,700 not all of them are Covid positive at this time. Many of them are already Covid free, they're negative. So they'll be able to vote. But the also important thing is that the elections and boundaries have said that they have no list of who has Covid or who doesn't have Covid, so I encourage everybody to go and vote. That's your fundamental right to go and vote, but to go and vote safely."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"I just want to clarify, even though the government has stipulated that if you are considered an active case, that means you have not have a negative test. If you are considered an active case the government has said you should not go vote, it's against the quarantine regulations. But you are saying that nobody know who it is, take your measures and go and vote. Is that your position?"
John Briceno, PUP Leader
"First of all I have not seen the quarantine act where it is saying that you can't vote. But more importantly Jules, it is your fundamental right as a citizen of this country to go and vote. It's enshrined in the constitution and I am saying that I encourage everyone to go and vote, but to vote safely. Obviously if you are on oxygen you can't go vote, you need to stay and get medical attention, but in most instances people can come out with their mask."
Reporter
"You seem to be contradicting all the current measures in place when it comes to the Covid. All if not most or most if not all of these measures in place for Covid19. Don't you think that's being somewhat irresponsible in terms of trying to prevent a community spread or increase cases in Covid19? You are talking about the cattle exportation, opening the freezone - yes I understand we have to look at it from an economic standpoint, but don't you feel that perhaps contradicting all these measures is opening a flood gate that we really cannot afford right now?"
John Briceno, PUP Leader
"First of all what we are doing is not working, because right now Covid19 is completely out of control. The government has been unable to put some control into it, but you can't stay at home. I was the first one to say it at the NOC. We have to learn to live with Covid. So don't tell me that I am contradicting. I'm giving you a plan as to how we are going to deal with Covid effectively and efficiently and at the same time for us to be able to work, or lese we are going to starve. Moving on to the issue of the flood, yes, it's going to hurt, it's going to affect us, but it's an act of God, there is absolutely nothing that we can do. We will encourage those that can vote to still come out and vote, but those that are affected and are more concern about their wellbeing and about their homes and their property and their family - it's completely understandable that they have to look after their family first."
Jules Vasquez, reporter
"When you look at the totality of the campaign that has been, again, we know how unusual it has been, but also it has been harder to gauge the energy of the electorate, because we don't have mass party events, but I'm saying that as you enter into tomorrow, certainly I as a political observer don't have a tactile sense that the PUP has the momentum or the UDP has the momentum. I have a sense of uncertainty. How do you perceive this momentum as objectively as possible without a blanket PUP endorsement?"
John Briceno, PUP Leader
"You don't have a tactile sense because you are not out there. I am out there. Whenever I go to the streets, you feel that energy. I've walk in the heart of Queen's Square in George street at night. I've been in Port Loyola, Collet, I've been in Cayo and Corozal and whenever you go out, the crowds, the people come out and they greet you and you feel the sincerity."
