Dear Editor
I CONCUR absolutely with the APNU General-Secretary Joseph Harmon’s opinion that the choice of retired Chief of Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips’ choice as prime ministerial candidate for the PPP/C is nothing else but “black tokenism.

Further, it is a hilarious case of known deceptive political window-dressing, with regard to a dangerously vile deception, intended to project to the Afro-Guyanese segment of the population that it is a party which respects the right of African Guyanese to have its rightful place in the governance of Guyana; its rightful share of socio-economic development and benefits, and even as part of its administration, if it returns to office.

Editor, this is further from the truth, which by the PPP/C’s own discriminatory politics of race, it stands both accused and convicted. In fact, in support of this contention is the case of its former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who for 23 years had been a tragic veneer, and a pathetic sight of a supposedly high-profile Afro-Guyanese in an all Indo- Guyanese party that carried out an institutionalised ethnic discriminatory policy against Afro-Guyanese, without even a whimper of protest from a then national leader who had boldly proclaimed to be the bridge between Afro-Guyanese and the PPP/C. His record in the capacity of a very senior national leader, for his then government’s entire two decades plus, is there for all to conclude their observations – he was never even allowed to gather the materials, much less for being able to build his bridge. And this politically hamstrung, deliberate in its deviously contrived plan, is carefully employed around Afro-Guyanese who do not have a following of any political kind to bring to the party and who is expected to be of good political behaviour in a party whose ideology was, and still is, brutally discriminatory against Afro-Guyanese.

Thus, it becomes fair to state the following: that Brigadier Phillips has served his country in a distinguished capacity for which he must be thanked, as he would have been already. He has since retired, and what he does in such a post-service situation, is entirely of his own choosing. However, given his professional background of strict discipline, and a subscriber to a particularly strict ethical code, of which good governance of the state, and upholder of the constitution was a particular pre-requisite for him to have been able to function in a highly professional manner, one is bound to question his wisdom in becoming aligned to a political party which record, he, from his vantage position, would have been able to witness with all of its criminal and high- voltage corrupt practices which reduced Guyana to a pariah. Moreover, how could he, for whatever grandiose political nomination would have been offered, now want to become part of a vile outfit of unrepentant politicians, whose criminal damage to their country has been well documented.

For Phillips to declare loudly, last Sunday, that he will be prime minister for all the races, is very much beside the point. For even if his party should win, he will never be allowed, much less to do so in his own capacity and in his own right. What he would have done, in becoming part of such a cabal of socio-economic pillagers of their country, is to have sold his integrity, and all those good values he would have honed, during his three decades as a military man.

Not to worry though, for as Harmon has unambiguously stated, Guyana has the real Brigadier as president, who has demonstrated the real meaning of what being a president FOR ALL OF HIS COUNTRY IS ALL ABOUT, REGARDLESS OF RACE OR POLITICAL AFFILIATION. Thus, Brigadier Phillips is not needed, Guyana does not need another PPP/C regime, much less another Samuel Hinds.

Regards
Earl Hamilton