PRIME ministerial candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Mark Phillips has stated that he is confident of the ability of the CARICOM scrutinising team to execute its role in the national recount and, should the process remain transparent, his party will accept the forthcoming results.
Speaking to the media during his first visit to the Arthur Chung Conference Center (ACCC) since the commencement of the recount on Tuesday [May 19], Phillips said that while his party wants to see The Carter Center rejoin the process, the CARICOM team, as it is, is adequate.
“We are always, from the beginning, confident in the CARICOM team. The presence or absence of the Carter Center has nothing to do or will not shape our confidence in the CARICOM team. This process started with the intervention of the five prime ministers from CARICOM countries and we have committed ourselves, at the first meeting, to this process and we will see this process to the end,” he said.
The PPP/C prime ministerial candidate added that his party is pleased with the presence of the CARICOM team and hopes that when the process likely goes beyond the 25 days, the scrutinising team will remain.
Provided that the transparency of the process continues, he said that his party will be ready to accept whatever the outcome is.
He stated: “Once the process, as I said, remains transparent, credible, the PPP/C will respect the process and the outcome of the process.”
Visiting the centre for the first time on Monday, he said that he was impressed with the layout and noticed that all stakeholders involved were working together towards a transparent process.
Phillips said that though he believes that the recount should be speeded up, he is heartened by the addition of two workstations. He hopes that additional counting stations can be added in future, in keeping with the COVID-19 protocols.
“We have to respect the protocols, but we’re hoping that we could increase the number of counting stations so we could have more boxes counted per day,” he said.
“By my calculation we should be counting somewhere about 93 or more boxes per day in order to meet the 25-day deadline…we expect an improvement because of the addition of the two more counting stations today.”(Monday)
Phillips also wants to see the elections commission adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines in place as has been requested by the National COVID-19 Task Force (NCTF).
According to the Health Emergency Operation Centre (HEOC) of the NCTF, during a recent re-visit to the ACCC to determine the possibility for additional stations, it was found that: two designated hand-washing areas were without soap and one was without hand towels; on rapid inspection 19 persons were observed without face masks or not adequately wearing them; multiple persons were observed w not practising adequate physical distancing; all head tables inspected were clustered and in non-adherence to physical distancing and representatives observing the recount were not seated with adequate physical distancing at eight recount stations.
“The GECOM secretariat, I’m confident, can quickly correct those observations made by the COVID-19 Task Force, that is not a decision for the stakeholders or the PPP/C,” he said.
In addition, while he has been absent from the public scene since the advent of the coronavirus in Guyana, Phillips denied that he was/is infected by the disease stating that he had no reason to be tested in the past few weeks.
“I was not ill to any extent where I had to do a COVID-19 test. In other words, I did not do a COVID-19 test and therefore it’s difficult to establish that I am afflicted with the COVID-19 and, to date, I have no reason to do a COVID-19 test,” he said.
At a meeting of the Central Committee of the PPP/C in January 2019, Phillips was unanimously endorsed as the prime ministerial candidate.
Phillips has had a long career in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) spanning nearly four decades, culminating with his appointment as the eighth Chief of Staff of the GDF, from September 2013, until he retired in October 2016.
He told the media that there have been no specific discussions beyond what would be expected of him if elected prime minister, but he seems himself having additional ministerial appointments apart from his hopeful role of prime minister.
