No portfolio was assigned for Prime Minister Mark Phillips yesterday when President Irfaan Ali named 19 ministers of his government but he stated that when that area of responsibility is made public it would reflect one that is “weighty.”
“Very shortly we will be gazetting the order in the areas of responsibility for the various ministers and the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister would have a portfolio that would be weighty, that is what I would say to you, [he would have] a very important portfolio of responsibility and also he would be working with me on a number of projects and issues,” Ali responded when asked about the seeming exclusion of Phillips, following the swearing of ministers at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre yesterday.
“We are fleshing that out and very shortly we will [say]. We just wanted to move the process forward and very shortly you would see. We have realigned the ministries, they have gone back to the ministries we had in 2015, so we have to get back to the TORs [Terms of References] and have that gazetted and so on, and we will brief you on that,” he added.
It is unclear what “weighty” portfolio Phillips would be given as the remaining important positions are now in the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Energy.
Observers have likened his current sidelining to that of former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, whose job portfolio did not require much input and who was highly criticised for it throughout his tenure as Prime Minister.
Phillips had championed public security during the party’s election campaign and had said that he was drawn to the PPP/C’s manifesto for a number of reasons that included citizen security.
Most importantly, he had explained, that after witnessing what he called the last government’s disregard for the constitution of Guyana and the rule of law, he was inspired to join the PPP/C.
The Ministry of Public Security has reverted to its former name used under the PPP/C – the Ministry of Home Affairs, and former Minister of Public Works Robeson Benn was named to head that ministry.
In an interview with this newspaper Phillips had said that he wanted persons to know their neighbourhoods are safe, “that their daughters can come home from lessons in a safe environment, that their sons will not easily access weapons, that their children and the elderly can traverse the streets without being wary of road carnage and that those who are bent on living on the wrong side of the law will know that its long arms are always within touching distance.”
And when asked then if it had been agreed that public security would fall under the prime ministerial portfolio if the PPP/C is elected, he had indicated that he would be seeking to contribute in one way or another. “There has been much chatter about me holding specific portfolios. While my expertise and experience reside in the realm of national security, a strategic approach to this issue in the wider context of governance and a constitutional position as high as Prime Minister, it does not necessarily place me in that Brickdam office. I can assure you however, that with my background, I will in one way, shape, or form, contribute to the crafting and execution of security and safety of all Guyanese without fear or favour,” he had said.
His ultimate mission as Prime Minister, he had said then, would be to be a “servant of the people”. He was quick to point out that him saying that in no way conflicts with, or is opposed to, the PPP and its approach to resuming government in Guyana. This is so since after having reviewed the approaches, philosophy and construct of the party, it was that which motivated him “to be a part of this side of the body politic.”
