AT a meeting of the Central Committee of the People’s Progressive Party, held on Friday afternoon, at Freedom House, Brigadier (rtd) Mark A. Phillips was unanimously endorsed as the Prime Ministerial candidate for the party at the upcoming March 2, 2020, General and Regional Elections. His main contender, Juan Edghill, was asked to ‘drop out’ of the race, but he said in a statement he bowed out after “prayerful consideration.”

In a release, minutes after Edghill dispatched a letter to the media announcing that he had dropped out the race, PPP said Mr. Phillips has had a long and distinguished career in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) spanning nearly four decades, culminating with his appointment as the eight Chief of Staff of the GDF, from September 2013, until he retired in October 2016, the PPP said in a release. As a member of the army, Mr. Phillips held a number of crucial leadership positions at various levels and ranks and his consistent upward mobility clearly demonstrated that he acquitted himself with distinction in every position held, the opposition party said. According to the PPP, Phillips received vast military training, certification, military decorations, medals, awards and honours, both locally, as well as, in the Caribbean, South America, Central America, the United States of America (USA), Canada and the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, United Kingdom (UK).

Academically, Phillips, the PPP said, possesses a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management, a Master’s Degree in Public Management and several Post-Graduate Diplomas in Defence Planning and various areas of management. “Mr. Phillips is, therefore, well qualified and equipped to partner with the PPP as its Prime Ministerial candidate, as it strides forward to win the upcoming elections and form the next Government of Guyana. The party’s leadership and its supporters expect Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips to serve all the people of Guyana in accordance with the high PPP tradition of discipline, dedication, loyalty and commitment, both in and out of government,” PPP said in the release.

The party said too that Mr. Phillips was unanimously endorsed by the party’s central committee after the other contender, Bishop Juan Edghill, wrote the party withdrawing his nomination as a Prime Ministerial candidate for the party. “The PPP takes this opportunity to recognise the tremendous contribution of Bishop Edghill in championing the cause of all of our people, both in the National Assembly and across the length and breadth of Guyana, against a corrupt, incompetent and unconstitutional Granger-led Government. We are heartened by the assurance given that he remains a committed team player, who will work to ensure a resounding PPP/C victory at the upcoming elections. We wish to assure all Guyanese that Bishop Edghill remains a valued and valuable member of our team and will certainly play a critical role in the next PPP/C Administration, in executing our manifesto promises to the electorate. We wish to thank Brigadier (retired) Mark Phillips, Bishop Edghill and Hugh Todd for participating in this very important process.”

Meanwhile, Edghill, in a letter, said he considered it a great honour to have been nominated a possible candidate for the PPP/C’s Prime Ministerial position in the March 2020 elections.

He said the support and words of encouragement from leaders and members within the party have been extremely heartening. “My position of interest was publicly articulated that I am interested, willing and able to serve in that capacity. Notwithstanding the popular views expressed by persons known and unknown to me, and the embrace by our activists and comrades throughout the country and in the diaspora, subsequent to the commencement of this process, I engaged in deeper personal reflection and prayerful consideration.”

Edghill said his preference is for a consensus candidate to emerge from this process; the bigger picture of an electoral victory for the PPP/C trumps personal ambition and desires and after a relentless and difficult struggle against this Granger-led regime, ensuring there are no encumbrances to victory and the preservation of unity among our supporters is paramount.