It’s time for Granger to do honourable thing, concede defeat – Phillips

– urges Granger to listen to son-in-law, stop fooling supporters & rescue legacy

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Prime Ministerial Candidate, Brigadier Mark Phillips has urged fellow retired army top brass, caretaker President David Granger, to call it a day and admit h

e was defeated at the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Phillips made this pronouncement during an online panel discussion that also featured PPP election candidate Charles Ramson and moderator Edward Layne. According to him, the leadership of A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC), particularly Granger, have to take a principled stand.
“The time has come for the leadership of the APNU/AFC and when I say the leadership, I’m talking about Brigadier (retired) David Arthur Granger. The time has come for him to go public, notwithstanding they will wait on GECOM to make a declaration which is more ceremonial than anything else,” Phillips said.
“Because the knowledge is out there, in the public domain. The PPP/C won the elections. They have the number of votes they won it by. We went through a recount. All the reports are in. Its time for Mr Granger to lead in the interest of peace and stability in this country.”

Phillips, a former Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, pointed out that this course of action will not only ensure peace in Guyana, but will also help the country’s case when it goes up before the International Court of Justice for the final decision on their border controversy case with Venezuela.
“It’s time for him to go to the mic. Go to the mic and tell the people of Guyana, my party, my coalition APNU/AFC, lost these elections. And I’m conceding defeat. That will bring peace to Guyana. Not to fool [hardcore supporters]. His own son-in-law told him what I’m repeating right now. So, if he doesn’t want to listen to me, listen to your son-in-law.”

“Our national interests are pursued by diplomatic ties and relationships that we foster with these same organisations we fighting against. Caricom. OAS. Commonwealth. These are organisations that we pursue our national interests through. The European Union. Only last week Mr Carl Greenidge, one of their own, mentioned that Guyana’s defence and security, the first line is diplomacy.”
Phillips also urged that Granger consider his legacy. Phillips’ advise comes following former Barbadian diplomat to the United States (US) and the Organisation of American States (OAS), John Beale, declaring that Granger is known as the “sanctimonious gangster” in Caribbean circles.
“Let us have a proper legacy for him. Because in another five years, another 100 years, when the political history of Guyana is written, we want it to be correctly stated that Mr Granger, notwithstanding the fact he held out for over 100 days, has finally conceded he lost the elections,” Phillips said.
It was only on Friday last that coalition partner Justice For All Party (JFAP) founder CN Sharma, broke away from APNU/AFC’s dogged refusal to accept defeat in the March 2 polls. In a statement, he made it clear that enough was enough and it was time for the country to move on.
He chastised those bent on dragging out the process and extended congratulations to PPP/C on their win. Sharma had pointed out that the National Recount was carried out and from the votes counted, it is clear the PPP/C is the winner.
As such, he had urged that PPP/C Presidential Candidate, Dr Irfaan Ali be sworn in without delay. Sharma had also called the last 108 days exhausting and said that the people are starving and suffering, due to the COVID-triggered economic slowdown.
Granger’s own son-in-law, former Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, also made a statement on Friday in which he conceded that APNU/AFC lost to the PPP/C and called out his party’s leadership for fooling supporters.
And incumbent Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan was caught on a recording, conceding defeat to his Ministry staff, during a farewell speech he had given. In that speech, Ramjattan had acknowledged the PPP winning by some 15,000 votes and had told the gathering he was willing to move on.