Mercury 20hp shift shaft bushing removal

Help please!!
I'm trying to remove the shift shaft bushing from a 1995 mercury 20hp 2 stroke outboard. This bushing is a plastic item that sits behind the waterpump in the lower end. I have the lower end on a bench and Although the seloc manual simply says remove this item, i can't seem to figure out how to do this without butchering the thing. Is there a trick to getting this out? I would like to replace the o-rings and seals under it.
Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

Based on the lack of replies i figured there was no trick to it, so i lubed the area really well with pb blaster and used a pair of pliers to gently pry it up. Turns out the previous owner used rtv sealant around the o ring and it was "glued" in there. Got it out without much damage and confirmed that my slight gear case leak was originating from the small o ring. All good now.