“All Guyanese benefitted from policies of the PPP/C Govt” – PM Mark Phillips

Prime Ministerial candidate for the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Philips, has urged Guyanese not to lose focus as the country votes for a President and Government to lead them for the next five years.
This call was made while he was addressing a meeting at Adelphi in East Canje ahead of Monday’s General and Regional Elections.
The incumbent Prime Minister took the gathering back to the past ten years, during which there were only two Governments – the PPP/C and the APNU-AFC (A Partnership for National Unity – Alliance for Change).
He stated that the PPP/C is the only national party and one that welcomes persons from all ethnic backgrounds who have equally benefited from Guyana’s resources.
“We built 67 nursery schools, 45 primary schools, and 42 secondary schools throughout the length and breadth of Guyana. In the five years that we were in office. We had to deal with COVID; we had to bring relief to you from COVID. We had to bring relief to you from the floods of 2021, and yet, we were able to deliver on the promises made to you. Always a Government that will continue to deliver on all our promises to you… The opposition, at this critical stage, wants to introduce race into the whole political debate. We had some speakers recently who tried to address our people, especially our African Guyanese, and tell them that they should vote for their own on September 1st. But, African Guyanese, Indian Guyanese, Amerindian Guyanese, the Chinese Guyanese, the Portuguese Guyanese, and the Mixed Guyanese – all Guyanese – benefited from the policies of the PPP/C, PM Philips noted.
He called on Guyanese, regardless of their ethnic background, to support the PPP/C at the polls.
“Because when you vote for the PPP/C, you vote for development. When you vote for the PPP/C, you vote for improvement in the livelihood of your family,” Philips added.

Philips also mentioned that when the PPP/C came to office, there were some 40,000 persons who would have lost their jobs during the APNU-AFC regime.
“Today, 60,000 Guyanese got employed in the five years that we were in office. Many of them were the pathway workers… Our President already mentioned that there will be more pathway workers and there will be increases in the allowances that the pathway workers get.”

PPP/C support grew
On that note, Guyana’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, addressing the same meeting on Friday evening, pointed out that since taking office in 2020, many who previously supported both the main opposition party and others are now throwing their weight behind the PPP/C.
Many of them, Dr Ramsammy stated, are now being referred to as soup drinkers.
“And we in the PPP, we say that all Guyana loves soup, and we got plenty soup for everybody, and we say that of all the lovely and delicious soup that the Guyanese people make, the healthiest and sweetest soup is in the PPP pot, and the pot is big enough for everybody…”
East Canje, where the meeting was held, was severely impacted by decisions by the then coalition Government, which ruled between 2015 and 2020 and closed the Rosehall Sugar Estate, among others, putting hundreds on the breadline. The impact was also felt in the town of New Amsterdam and was severe.
Ramsammy said all that should be put behind our backs while not being forgotten, as it is a time for Guyanese to be united as a people. Unless this happens, Ramsammy said the country will not be able to reach its true potential.
“Unity of our people is a prerequisite, and it is not negotiable. We must be one Guyana. The texture of our hair and the colour of our skin must not matter because we are all one. There is only one political party that talks about unity, and that talks about bringing our people together, and speaks and walks the talk of one Guyana.”

Ramsammy called on all to support the political party that makes no false promises and that works for the interest of all.
He called on residents of East Canje and the entire Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) to join the other ten administrative regions in supporting his party so that it can have its largest ever victory at the polls.
“On the west, we have New Amsterdam, and I say to New Amsterdam that you have been loyal, you have been faithful to the PNC [People’s National Congress], and every time you show your loyalty, they betray you. We are saying to our sisters and brothers in New Amsterdam, let us hold hands together and work together,” the Ambassador appealed.

PNC not democratic
Meanwhile, Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh called on Guyanese to analyse the history of Guyana. In doing so, the Finance Minister said persons will see a very clear pattern emerging.
“On no occasion in the entire history of Guyana has the PNC been able to win a democratic election. On every occasion that they have had the opportunity to come into Government, it has been the result of an opportunistic partnership that they formed with somebody.
In 1964, they formed an opportunistic coalition with a party called the United Force because they could not win a democratic election on their own.
In 2011 and 2015, they could not get into Government, and they formed an opportunistic coalition with a party called the Alliance for Change. On that occasion, they sent out people who were posing as AFC with yellow shirts. They sent them out into communities where PNC people could not go. And they attempted to deceive the Guyanese people by making all sorts of false promises. And through that opportunistic and deceptive strategy, they were able to secure a majority in the parliament. But as soon as they got into Government, once again they showed their deceptiveness and their destructiveness and their incompetence,” the Finance Minister explained.

September 1
On Monday, some 750,000 Guyanese are expected to cast their ballots in favour of the most suited candidate, who will be given the responsibility to lead the country for the next five years.
These include incumbent President Irfaan Ali for the PPP/C; Aubrey Norton for A Partnership for National Unity; Nigel Hughes for the Alliance for Change; Azruddin Mohamed for We Invest In Nationhood; Simona Broomes for Assembly for Justice and Prosperity; and Amanza Walton-Desir for Forward Guyana Movement.