Dr Faith Harding, former PNC minister and educator, died yesterday afternoon at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital after a period of illness.
She was 67 years old and her death stunned those who knew her.
Her husband, Patrick Harding, who is the President of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association (GGDMA), was too distraught to speak when contacted by Stabroek News. He said he was still in disbelief and would comment at a later time.
Harding was hospitalised last week and was anticipating being discharged soon.
Tributes poured in for the early childhood educator, with her friends and colleagues in politics reflecting on the vibrant life she lived.
“She was a genial woman, a phenomenal woman, and I can’t believe it that she is gone. I went to visit her at the hospital on Monday and she was anticipating to be released… she was joking around just being herself. She loved life and genuinely cared about people. That was Faith,” her longtime friend, Eve Blackman told Stabroek News.
Jeffrey Thomas, former Minister of Education in the People’s National Congress (PNC) government, lauded Harding, for the development of Guyana’s current nursery curriculum and her vibrant and kind disposition. She worked with him then as the Assistant Chief Education Officer for Nursery Education from 1979 to 1982.
“I knew her when she returned to Guyana with a PhD in Nursery Education and in 1976 joined us and was enthusiastic to work. She can only be described as monumental and very energetic person, who had a keen intellect and was committed to her work as a person,” Thomas said.
“She put in long hours at work and she worked and worked with the team in putting together a programme for nursery education in this country because then there was no formal programme at that time. The places they had were privately run by elderly persons, who had no training in the area. There were no trained nursery education teachers,” he added.
Further, Thomas said he believes Harding should be publicly credited for her efforts in seeing that a programme was also developed for the training of nursery educators here, while noting that she spent her time tirelessly working on a national nursery education curriculum and teacher training.
He said he learnt last week of Harding’s hospitalization but understood that it was not life threatening. As a result, he too was taken aback upon learning of her sudden demise.
People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) executive and current Member of Parliament with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Carl Greenidge reflected on the feisty politician, who was not scared to make bold moves.
Said Greenidge, “She was brought into the party by President (Desmond) Hoyte who was at the time looking for young professionals. She started off at Public Service Ministry and was one of those extendable entrants”
He added, “Faith was an enthusiastic and keen politician and she was not afraid of work or anything for that matter. She loved people and if you sent her to Tiger Bay or Albouystown where some may fear to go, not her; that’s what she liked. The woman was not afraid and was always open to new ideas.”
He pointed out that after the PNC lost power in 1992, Harding continued to work as a politician and devoted her time to working with young people.
Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Rashleigh Jackson, who served in parliament at the same time, Harding did as Minister of the Public Service Ministry (PSM) credits her for the modernisation of the ministry. He believes she was needed as a consultant to revamp and upgrade the sector currently as its standards have fallen drastically from when run by Harding. “She brought new ideas and helped modernised the PSM and was a stalwart leader. She is needed there now to help have them have their integrity restored as they seem to be completely useless…,” he stressed.
Public life
Much of Harding’s public life surrounds the 25 years she spent as a member of the PNC and then the PNCR. Within the PNC administration, Harding was Minister of Public Service from 1989 to 1992 and was credited with reforming and transforming that ministry.
She continued in Parliament for the PNC as an opposition shadow minister in several important areas. She was also the party’s candidate for the mayorship of Georgetown in the 1994 local government elections. She lost to the current mayor, Hamilton Green, who had just earlier formed his own party, having been expelled from the PNC. Harding’s selection was seen as evidence of her standing in the party at that time.
In 2011, she had contested for the presidential candidacy of the PNCR and lost to David Granger. She subsequently left the party after charging that it had sidelined her.
“I resigned because I found that it wasn’t as useful. I have a passion for the party. I have a passion for working with people because I am a people person and I like to see change,” Harding told Stabroek News in a 2012 interview.
Further, she had said, the rights of the citizens were not being given enough prominence. According to Harding, the abandoning of the nation’s people should not be tolerated.
“We have a responsibility and we are elected to Parliament. We are a political party that has members that support it and we have to access help for them. We can’t just not respond; I don’t accept that at all and that is the attitude that I find in the party,” she had said.
She added, “Everybody is useless, even I am useless” until elections time, when “they want your vote or want to use you for some reason.”
Harding’s concern for the citizenry was not just limited to her political ambitions. Her concern continued through the years after her departure from the PNCR and saw her as an advocate for a number of issues, including the rights of women and children, suicide prevention, and LGBT rights.
Throughout the years Harding, had been involved in a number of initiatives, including the One Billion Rising Campaign and her own Quick Impact Programme (QIP). Among other initiatives, the latter entailed the planting of sorrel in small communities for export.
Harding had also called for post-trauma counselling to be provided for members of the Guyana Police Force and had personally been involved in counselling in cases of domestic violence, abuse, and rape.
