Mark Phillips to return as PPP/C prime ministerial candidate

Prime Minister Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips will return as the prime ministerial candidate of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for the upcoming September 1 General and Regional Elections, running alongside President Irfaan Ali.
This was confirmed by the party’s General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference on Thursday.

“We’re very proud [of Mark Phillips], and he shall be our prime ministerial candidate,” Jagdeo affirmed.
In fact, Jagdeo rejected a false report by the online entity – Credible Sources – operated by Opposition Member Sherod Duncan, which reported that the PPP is looking to replace PM Phillips at the upcoming polls.
According to the PPP General Secretary, this fiction being peddled by Duncan demonstrates the panic and fear within the opposition camp, which they are now trying to project onto the PPP.
“The Opposition is in crisis… [Duncan] is really in full panic mode. The psychosis is visible in his behaviour,” Jagdeo said, cautioning that closer to the elections, the opposition will continue to spread baseless rumours.
“Credible Sources is the least credible source in the country,” he declared. In fact, he cautioned supporters to be wary of the rumour mill, especially during this election season.
Nevertheless, the PPP General Secretary pointed out that the party is proud to have someone of the calibre of Brigadier (Ret’d) Phillips to serve in the Prime Minister’s office.
“Mark Phillips has been a great prime minister for this country. Mark Phillips has decency, credibility and [experience from] heading the army and commanding people. He walks around this country upright, and we are proud of him,” Jagdeo contended.
During a previous press conference, Jagdeo had pointed out how Phillips is significantly more qualified than his competitors and has oversight of some critical sectors such as ICT, which has been flourishing under his leadership.
On the other hand, Jagdeo had noted that the Peoples National Congress (PNC)-led Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Prime Ministerial Candidate, Juretha Fernandes, was a mere confidential secretary to the former Prime Minister up to 2020.
In fact, the PPP General Secretary had contended that all the leaders within the PPP are more qualified and experienced to run the country when compared with the opposition members.
“None of the candidates vying on the other side has the experience of an Irfaan Ali or a Mark Phillips – none of them. And it would take them a very long time to get the experience of these two gentlemen,” he posted.
The PPP General Secretary went on to state that the opposition parties – not just the APNU and Alliance For Change (AFC) but also smaller parties like A New and Unity Guyana (ANUG) – are all in crisis with their credible membership diminishing.
In recent months, there has been a mass exodus from the opposition parties which has seen members from the AFC switching over to the APNU and vice versa, as well as persons from both of those parties breaking ranks to join the ruling PPP.
Several of the senior high-ranking officials who have left APNU have cited racism, lack of vision and side-lining by the party’s leadership among the reasons. Similar sentiments come from former AFC members as well.
According to Jagdeo, unlike those parties, the PPP – the most diverse political party in the country – has welcomed a lot of those former opposition members, especially those who share the same goals as the party and are interested in working for the betterment of the country and its people.
Moreover, Jagdeo noted that these crossover members are not being promised anything to join the PPP. As a matter of fact, he reiterated that not even the positions of the current cohort of Cabinet Ministers are guaranteed.
“Some of them have approached the PPP, and they think they’re going to come in and get a promise. Nobody gets a promise from the PPP – not even the current ministers know if they will be in the new Cabinet.”
“We don’t promise seats or any position before you’ve gone to the voters… So, they don’t linger around us for too long if they’re coming for the wrong reasons. They go to the other side that can make promises to them … Because we’ve not promised anyone who’s come to us any guaranteed position,” the PPP General Secretary posited.