Prime Ministerial Candidate of the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Brigadier (rtd) Mark Phillips has blanked talks of “inclusive governance” being pushed by caretaker President, David Granger, in face of what appears an imminent electoral defeat.
Instead, Phillips said the APNU/AFC must first “respect the people who voted on March 2; respect the will of the people.”
He was at the time addressing media operatives encamped outside of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre – the recount venue.
The PPP/C PM Candidate said that Constitutional Reform would be high on the agenda of his party’s new administration and that this would include a consensus structure on inclusive governance.
According to the former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) chieftain, it is only after the democratic process of electing a new government is completed however, that the party would be engaged “in any discussion about constitutional reform and about inclusive governance.”
Reminding that the PPP/C is in committed to seeing the recount process through to the end, the PM Candidate drew reference to the party’s 2020 elections campaign manifesto and said “we are the ones who started this whole discussion as part of this electoral process of
constitutional reform and inclusive governance.”
Responding directly to Granger, Phillips said it was heartening to hear the coalition changed narrative on the need for inclusive governance “and they are coming on board with us.”
He was adamant, “however, we said it before and we say it again; respect the people who voted on March 2, respect the will of the people and we are committed to seeing this recount process to the end and respecting the results of the process as declared by GECOM”.
According to Phillips, this would ensure “democracy prevails in Guyana.” As such, he stressed that it “is only through a democratic process we must determine who win or who lose, and after then, only after then, after respecting the democratic process must we engage in any discussion about conditional reform and about inclusive governance.”
