By Mark DaCosta- Prime Minister (PM) Mark Phillips has recently made several assertions against the Opposition , the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) to which Guyanese — including political activists — have responded.
In public statements, the PM accused the People’s National Congress (PNC) of conducting a “systemic race-based campaign” to derail Guyana’s progress.” PM Phillips has asserted that, “Race-baiting politics is their only response [to government’s developmental agenda]. The PM said that the [increasingly isolated] opposition “wants to shift the conversation. [ . . .] One will recall this same unscrupulous group fed their supporters a steady dose of lies . . .”
PM Phillips said, too, that “Under the PPP (People’s Progressive Party) there will be harmony and unity among our people.”
Prominent political observer Mr. Tacuma Ogunseye is among Guyanese who have directly confronted the PM’s claims. In a letter to the media, Ogunseye wrote, “The PM made much of the fact that the opposition is seeking to change the government’s narrative. What does the PM expect? The opposition’s role is to promote its narrative to the population and not that of the government.”
Mr. Ogunseye wrote, “[The PM] must be aware that his selection by the PPP as their Prime Ministerial Candidate and the role that he is presently playing as a concerned African is itself a form of race-baiting. The issue here is not as suggested by the PM. It is not whether the policies benefit all Guyanese. What needs to be answered is the extent that the majority of the population’s interest is addressed in a timely way, and adequately and fairly, when compared with other sections of the community.”
Other Guyanese have also taken issue with the PM’s statements. One observer noted the PM’s claims that his government is one of “harmony and unity” is belied by the very existence of the PM’s statements.
“The PM, in his statements, is openly attacking the opposition. His use of loaded language such as referring to the opposition as an ‘unscrupulous group’ is certainly at odds with any claim by the PPP that it wants harmony or unity. The tone of the PM’s utterances is also noteworthy; the PPP’s repeated use of words such as ‘us and them’ exposes the PPP’s warrior-like mindset.”
Guyanese have taken to the comments sections of the media to air their views directly to PM Phillips. One person wrote, “Most of your projects, not all but most of your initiatives lack substance and any sort of strategic aims. I will give you a basic example, Minister goes to High school to celebrate equipping a classroom with a Smart board? Really?”
Referring to a letter by the PM to the media, a commentator wrote, “If Guyana’s opposition is becoming “increasingly isolated,” you would not be writing this letter to [the media]. It would be to your party’s advantage to ignore the opposition so they would be totally isolated and ineffective by 2025 General Election Day.
“The mere fact you have taken (sic) the time to pen this missive is your PPPC is concerned about its growing negatives and this is causing increasing support for the opposition. Guyanese are growing wary of your ruling party’s propaganda: if a shed is built and commissioned, it becomes a bragging topic for the PPPC. The folks are finding it increasingly difficult to feed their children while your government spin unimpressive stuff all over the media.”
