It was staged at the seaside in front of the Memorial Park - a picturesque location - but, to our political observer, the event appeared less than inspired. Jules Vasquez reports:

The PUP's Stay Pan Track was a National Party Council meeting and a national rally for its 9 municipal slates.

The event carried all the familiar elements of mass party culture: marching bands, Punta bands playing political music, dancing, wild political exuberance and throat splitting speeches:

Jose Abelardo Mai, PUP
"PUP! Let me hear you, let Shyne hear it, PUP!"

For the PUP, the event was designed to be a pre-victory rally for the municipals where each of the 9 municipal slates were introduced - but the crowd seemed less than inspired:

Henry Charles Usher, Party Chairman
"Let them take a view of what's happening out here. Let them see all of the blue, all of the white. Let them see the blue and white flags. Let them see the supporters of the People's United Party, PUP."

Indeed, it was not a rousing reaction - and try as he might, the chairman had difficulty rousing them:

Henry Charles Usher, Party Chairman
"And they have to understand that this ticket is the ticket of the People's United Party,"

"I noh hear unu."

We'll leave that one there - but the crowd at the front did get animated coming on to the end of the three-hour event when the party's senior leadership spoke.

The Deputy Leader had a sobering message that kind of doused the celebratory pre victory vibe:

Cordel Hyde, PUP Deputy Leader
"This is not no plat play elections, this is serious business. This is whether we will turn back or whether we will stay pan track."

"Elections is serious business you know and we in the People's United Party should not take nothing for granted, because in 1993 the PUP took things for granted and lose. In 2012 the UDP took things for granted and nearly lose. So we can't take things for granted. We have to stay focus, because stay pan track, that is right. Stay pan track Jungle, don't come off the track, stay pan track. That is what we are about, because there is no 2025 without 2024."

He also seemed to have a cautionary note for his own colleagues:

Cordel Hyde, PUP Deputy Leader
"We have to stay pan track with the social justice ideals of George Price, because when we are George Price PUP, nothing can go wrong. When we put the people first, nothing can go wrong."

"We have to get back to basics, we can't get caught up in glamor in this position, we can't get caught up in the ribbon cutting and the profiling. That's kind of nice you know, but we have to take care of business, we have to get back to basics. We have to cut our grass and dig our drain and move our garbage, We have to take care of our people."

And those people are who made up this crowd of "Tru Blu's" - and the Prime Minister said they gave him an unmistakable feeling:

John Briceno, PUP Party Leader
"And I can tell you once again that I feel it in my heart. I can feel it in the air that the People's United Party is ready for victory once again."

"What will we give the UDP, we are going to give them nothing because we are going to win all the seats for the People's United Party on March 6."

And he'd better be right because as his deputy said, if the PUP falls in 2024, this proud but bloated party won't be able to stand up in 2025.