THE leadership of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C), last evening converged on Albion, Berbice, where the party staged yet another massive rally and warned supporters that come May 11, “the future of freedom is at stake.”Had there been any elections jitters in the camp of the incumbent, this was certainly allayed if not put to rest completely over the weekend, when the PPP/C staged two massive rallies: one at Essequibo on Saturday evening and the other in Albion, Berbice, last evening, flexing its proverbial political muscles and reminding all and sundry that it is still a political juggernaut to be reckoned with.

Party figures estimate the Essequibo gathering at Damon Square in Anna Regina to number in the vicinity 15,000 while the crowd last evening in the Ancient County, rivalled if not surpassed the earlier evening’s mammoth crowd.
Introduced as the Champion of the Earth, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was also conferred with a number of Honorary Doctorates, was clearly a crowd favourite at both rallies.
Welcomed to the stage on both occasions to boisterous uproar—some chanting his name—the Former President sought to impress on the Berbice supporters, as he did their Essequibian counterparts, the importance of their vote for the PPP/C on May 11, not leaving anything to chance.
CRACK OF DAWN
Jagdeo urged those at the rally in Berbice, come May 11, at the crack of dawn, to be vigilant in getting supporters out to the various polling stations to cast their ballots.
He urged his supporters to not let a single vote fall by the wayside or be spoiled.
He urged the young and able to assist those that may need assistance on Election Day, whether it is a vehicular ride to the polling station, a drop on a bicycle, or as the former President put it, “put people on your back and take them.”
He suggested too that in the case of the differently abled, persons should look to utilise the proxy voting facilities.
According to him, on elections morning, knock on every door in the village and get persons out of their house to go and vote.
He said even if persons voted for the Alliance For Change (AFC) during the last elections, encourage them to vote on May 11, as he is confident that this time the ‘X’ will be placed next to the ‘CUP’ on the ballot paper.
OPPOSITION VIOLENCE
Jagdeo cautioned too, as he did in Essequibo, that come May 11, the margin of victory for the incumbent must be such a decisive one that even the political Opposition will have to openly concede defeat before having to resort to any type of untoward action.
He suggested that a slim win will leave room for confusion and repeated that the coalesced A Partnership for National Unity and AFC (APNU+AFC) is currently gearing supporters to create mayhem.
According to Jagdeo, “You (Berbicians) must be more hyped than Freedom House…they (APNU+AFC) may want to create violence if they lose.”
He was adamant too that PPP/C supporters must not be fooled by the massive crowds that are now coming out to the PPP/C’s rallies to show their support and said things must not be left to chance.
“You have to go everywhere in the village,” said Jagdeo as he repeated his clarion call to Berbicians to ensure their neighbours, friends and families vote solidly behind the PPP/C next month at the polls.
ROBBED
The nation, he said, has been robbed of three years of development as a result of the machinations of the political Opposition during the course of the life of the 10th Parliament and cautioned that the country could not afford a similar period.
Taking a swipe at the political Opposition, Jagdeo warned Berbice supporters to not be fooled by the dual campaigns being conducted by the political Opposition.
He warned that there is no longer an AFC, since on Nomination Day there was only one List of Candidates submitted to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
That list, he said, has as its Presidential Candidate, Opposition Leader Brigadier (rtd) David Granger.
He told the PPP/C Berbice supporters that despite the promises and electioneering tactics of the AFC, a vote for that party is essentially a vote for Granger as President.
This was followed by the obvious rhetorical question to the PPP/C supporters, whether they trusted Granger to lead the nation as President which, was met with a resounding “no” from those in the crowd.
RESUME DEVELOPMENT
According to Jagdeo, the PPP/C is a party with a clear perspective of where it wants to take the country in the future, while at the same time being cognizant of the various challenges.
Jagdeo told supporters that with the PPP/C at the helm of power, it has been a long difficult road of change.
The former President called on supporters not to vote for the PPP/C simply because their parents or grandparents would have voted for the party.
According to Jagdeo, the PPP/C over the years has used political power to benefit the lives of ordinary Guyanese across the country, and he told supporters “we have to resume the development process.
Jagdeo was joined at the Albion Rally by key party leaders including Head of State, President Donald Ramotar, and PPP/C Prime Ministerial Candidate, Elisabeth Harper.

By Gary Eleazar