A call for Dr Peter Phillips to refrain from making statements following newspaper report

At least one political observer is of the view that People's National Party Campaign Director, Dr. Peter Phillips, should immediately refrain from making any further statements as controversy swirls about comments purportedly made by him to an embassy official.

Dr. Phillips, who is also a former cabinet minister, has passionately denied saying that the PNP administration ran the country into the ground, and that he made disparaging remarks about the Opposition Leader at the height of a bitter leadership contest in the party.

At a constituency conference in Eastern St. Andrew, Dr. Phillips said the PNP is a united force and blamed the Jamaica Labour Party for making mischief in this latest debacle.

 However, western Jamaica-based political analyst, Lloyd B. Smith, says the less Dr. Phillips has to say, the better for him, although it would be difficult for him not to say anything.

“I think the more he tried to deny is the more persons are likely to become skeptical, I think that any attempt by Dr Phillips to continuously bring up the matter could be to his disadvantage, I noticed that he declined that the revelations were defamatory and libelous,….”  He said.

 Mr. Smith also says he expects the opposition party to employ political strategies to ensure that the cloud of controversy over the head of Dr. Phillips goes away quickly.