By Rehana Ahamad

THE wife of Guyana’s Prime Minister is Mrs. Mignon Bowen-Phillips. she might not have been previously well-known, but she is a woman of many talents, and certainly, high caliber.

During a candid interview with local journalist, Leroy Smith, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips reflected on her life prior to being in the political spotlight. She ‘grew up’ in Northeast La Penitence, and lived a stable and comfortable life with her parents and siblings. Her father, George Leland Bowen, was a talented tailor and her mother, Esme Glendora Bowen, a nurturing housewife.

Mrs. Bowen-Phillips attended the East La Penitence Primary School, followed by South Georgetown Secondary; she would later secure a job as a clerk within the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) where she worked for a few months before moving on to the Bank of Guyana. There, she would work many years as “Teller Three,” but her diligence and commitment would not go unnoticed and a young Bowen would be promoted to Assistant Principal of the Exchange Control Department, serving under the late governor, Patrick E. Mathews.

In May 1988, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips would go on to work as a clerk within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat located at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara. Armed with her intelligence, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips would be promoted several times during her 32 years of service to the Caribbean region. She recently retired as the Project Officer responsible for CARICOM’s documentation centre and registry. During her elevation within CARICOM, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips also worked in the resource mobilisation section of the secretariat, dealing with regional projects and how they are implemented with technical cooperation aid from various international donor partners.
For 11 years, the Prime Minister’s wife served as a CARICOM Electoral Observer, covering elections hosted in various CARICOM member states.

“I always had an interest in governance issues, based on my studies in public administration; good governance, rule of law, electoral processes and so on,” Mrs. Bowen-Phillips told Big Smith News Watch.

Asked to give her thoughts on Guyana’s six-month-long elections debacle, the Prime Minister’s wife declined to go in depth. She did say though that, as a Guyanese, she was very proud that Guyana has one of the most robust electoral systems in the Caribbean.

“I say that because when you look at the total package, in terms of what goes into the printing of the ballots, the training of electoral staff; how people ought to identify themselves going into the polling station and so on, I think our system is very robust and rigid.”

She further added that “the CARICOM Electoral Observer Mission is very recognised across the region and well-respected.”

In addition to being a respected professional, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips is also a dedicated volunteer and humanitarian. She was at the forefront of AVON’s breast cancer awareness campaigns that had become internationally recognised. Mrs. Bowen-Phillips would eventually be selected, along with 89 other global advocates, for a fellowship in the United States. After the AVON brand left Guyana, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips directed her services to the Periwinkle Club, providing critical support to cancer patients throughout the country.

ARMY WIFE

Reminiscing on her life as the wife of an army officer, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips said that she understood and respected her husband’s commitment to serving his country. Brigadier (ret’d) Mark Anthony Phillips first joined the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in 1980 as cadet; he would later display exceptional skills that would allow him to rise through the ranks over a 36-year period, until he retired as Brigadier and Chief-of-Staff in October 2016.

“He was a very busy and very committed officer; to me, service to country was important to him,” Mrs. Bowen-Phillips related.

Over the years, instead of sulking over the fact that her husband was often stationed far away, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips commandeered the opportunity to pursue self-development.

“Whilst working, I was able to study,” Mrs. Bowen Phillips said. She poured much of her attention into obtaining her Bachelor Degree in Public Administration, her Master of Business Administration as well as several other academic endeavours.

Mrs. Bowen-Phillips also dabbled in a number of culinary, dress-making and homemaking courses, some of which were being offered by the iconic Carnegie School of Home Economics.

“He [the Prime Minister] would compensate [for being away] …and he would take over the cooking on weekends and holidays, so I was out of the kitchen on those days, and I was very grateful for that help.

As her husband assumed the position of Chief-of-Staff in 2013, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips said that his portfolio had come as a great invasion of her and her family’s privacy.

“I had to be careful of what I say; I had to be careful about making new friends; I had to be careful about dealing with some of the friends I had also, because it was important that I did not place myself in a position where I could have been misquoted on anything,” Mrs. Bowen-Phillips reflected.

ENTRY INTO POLITICS

When the Brigadier retired in 2016, he and his wife had commenced their tours to see the world. They had already vacationed in several countries, and were planning their Panama and Dominica leg of their travels when the No-Confidence motion was passed against the former Coalition Government in 2019.

“He was really concerned about what happened in the country after the No-Confidence motion; we both studied Public Administration, so we were both interested in things about good governance and the rule of law,” Mrs. Bowen-Phillips related.

She said that the state of the country over the past year and a half disturbed the tranquility that had surrounded their lives, and soon enough, the Phillips were no longer in a vacation mood.

Mrs. Bowen-Phillips said that she was at work when she received a call from her husband, who related that a family meeting was slated for later in the evening; he had something important to discuss with them, but would not immediately say what it was.

“At dinner, he brokered the thought that he was thinking of getting involved in politics. We had the conversation and asked him if he was sure he wanted to do this; if he felt it was the right thing for him to do,” Mrs. Bowen-Phillips related.

She said that her family was concerned about the political climate and all the unfortunate occurrences that come with national elections.

“…the personal attacks that we probably would have had to encounter; but I must say, he did a good job at preparing us as a family to deal with the public scrutiny again…second time around, now much more high-profile,” the Prime Minister’s wife noted.

She said that while it took some time for the Phillips family to adjust to the public scrutiny and comments, her husband is a “very tough cookie…he is a soldier; well-trained, so he knew what he was getting into, and my duty was to support him.”

Mrs. Bowen-Phillips said that being a regional public servant, she opted to stay away from the campaign trail, “but at home, he knew that we loved him dearly and he went out there knowing that we supported him 100 per cent.”

A UNITED GUYANA

Asked whether she plans to play a more public role in adding to her husband’s efforts, Mrs. Bowen-Phillips said that she has not finalised anything as yet, but whatever she does would seek to unite the people of Guyana and promote us as being a unique people.

“We enjoy each other’s cultural events; we enjoy each other’s foods,” she said.

The retired CARICOM staff expressed her dissatisfaction with the way many Guyanese treat each other.

“I feel like I need to do something about that. We need to start thinking as Guyanese; there is no going back to Africa or no going back to India; we are born and bred here; this country belongs to all of us, and so I would want to work on something that would really and truly promote the uniqueness of being a Guyanese.”

She reflected on her previous visit to India, where she was participating in an NGO training programme that had attracted persons from all parts of the world who complained about the food, especially about the dishes being too spicy.

“…and I had the pleasure of teaching them how to drink the dhal and how to eat the roti and use the curry,” a candid Bowen-Phillips related.

Questioned about her relationship with former First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, Bowen-Phillips indicated that the two had always shared pleasant, respectful relations.

“We were colleagues; we are professional colleagues. We are a big, happy family at CARICOM; we treat each other with respect,” Bowen-Phillips posited.
She added, “We always had very good working relations, and I don’t think that our husbands’ political paths would cause us not to be colleagues. There is always mutual respect.”

Mrs. Bowen-Phillips related that she was able to congratulate and extend best wishes when Mrs. Granger had assumed her role as First Lady in 2015.

“But since my husband became the Prime Minister of this country, we did not get an opportunity to say ‘hello’ to each other, but I am sure she would have wished me well,” Mrs. Bowen-Phillips assured.

Reflecting on the life-changes that inevitably come with holding such a distinguished title, the Prime Minister’s wife said that she misses the mundane things.

“One of the things I miss most is driving myself; I need to feel that pedal under my foot. I had to learn to surrender my freedom of being spontaneous and going about my business; we’re now in service to the country, so I guess it comes with high office,” she asserted.

She added: “One of the things that they did allow me to do, was go back and say hello to the vendors that I normally would buy from at Bourda Market; they were so happy to see me, and to say how proud they are…its quite a good feeling to know that people at that level would want to embrace you and wish you well.”

During the interview, the academic and humanitarian advised young girls to always strive to be themselves. “Try always to be your own beacon of light. We’re all different individuals; we are not all on the same path; stay in your lane, focus on yourself; develop yourself as an individual, and you never can tell, along the road of life’s journey, you would meet somebody that is compatible with your dreams and aspirations and you could become a perfect team.”