Dear Editor,
This campaign excites me, but I should declare my bias up front; that is, I am a supporter of Dr Harding to become the PNCR presidential candidate. I believe she has the intellect – although that doesn’t seem to be a requirement in politics; she has a long history of service to her party and by extension to the country; she has had several international postings, primarily assisting foreign governments to develop and implement policies and procedures for good governance. As well, she is articulate and inspiring with the ability to transform Guyana politics.
I met Dr Harding several years ago while visiting with a very good friend in Guyana. As a feminist, trade unionist and social activist living in Canada, I was particularly interested in issues affecting women and children in Guyana.
Over many discussions, Dr Harding took the time to share her perspective and informed me of her work with families in crisis and her hope for the future development of her beloved Guyana. What I respect most about this candidate is her willingness to walk the talk and take a stand even when others ridicule her actions and seek to diminish their importance. During one of my visits to Guyana, my host and I received an early morning call from Dr Harding encouraging us to join her at a demonstration in Robb Street to protest the shooting of a woman near Freedom House. Others had obviously been called, so there we were, placards in hand condemning the murder of this woman, a woman whom Faith probably had never met, but was moved to action because she felt it was the right thing to do.
This simple demonstration of leadership and courage from this intellectual solidified my respect for Dr Harding. Of course there are other examples of her tenacity and commitment to social justice.
With respect to her campaign, the large crowd at the recent meeting should send a clear message to the party machinery that Dr Harding is a serious contender and should be respected as such. My hope is that the process will be fair and transparent, and that Dr Harding will be able to stand proudly on her merits without interference from the process. Indeed, this should be the standard applied for all candidates. However, as is well known, women are generally held to and judged by different standards, which are generally higher, and often their contributions to society are minimized and even totally ignored. Hopefully, this will not be the case with Dr Harding’s candidacy, but we have got to have faith.
Yours faithfully,
June Veecock