Today, we gather to pay tribute, and to extol the virtues and accomplishments of Sheila Holder, who died on Sunday, 20th November, 2011. Like most of us gathered here, we never really got a chance to say goodbye. However shortly before she departed for the US for treatment, she and I had our best discussions ever about life, spirituality, responsibility and purpose and so I took comfort, and obtained confidence in those memories.
Her untimely death came just a few days prior to the historic 28th November elections and needless to say, threw our party into a state of shock and partial immobilization. However, it was Sheila’s indomitable spirit that brought us together, steeled our resolve, and set us back into the battlefields and trenches to carry on the fight. We could almost hear her famous words “what nonsense!” in response to our sagged shoulders, teary eyes, and dampened resolve. And so it was to Sheila’s memory, and her strong will and determination to succeed, that we dedicated our fight in the last week and the victories that we secured thereafter. The tributes, consequent on her passing that came from far and afield, gave testimony to the vaunted and respected status she was held within the AFC, the body politic, civil society, and amongst the citizenry. If there is one word that best describes Sheila Valerie Holder it is: STRENGTH. At her birth, her parents must have whispered Joan of Arc’s words into her tiny ears:
“I am not afraid…I was born to do this.”
I first got to know Sheila when she came to the National Assembly in 2001 as a representative of the Working People’s Alliance. Previously, she had gained a reputation as an outstanding consumer’s rights advocate. Never flinching, nor feinting, but always displaying sticktoitiveness and a dogged personality that allowed her to see through to the end, whatever she started. It was no surprise therefore that after Khemraj and I agreed to form a new political movement in 2005, we immediately, and almost simultaneously, proclaimed that we needed a woman to buttress our cause. Yet just not any woman would do, but Sheila Holder only could fill that void. Getting her to join us was not as automatic as some would have believed as it required us to go to her home and sit with her, and set out our vision and convince her that the time had come for an alternative way. She didn’t respond immediately, but took time to assess us, our idea, and its feasibility. In the end, she said yes, and as the oft repeated cliché goes: “the rest is history”. From 2005 up until the time of her death, she was the Alliance For Change’s Vice Chairperson serving at some times as the glue that kept the party together, and at others, as the rod of discipline to address errant and harmful behaviour.
To Khemraj and me, she was the quintessential big sister. Capable of issuing rebukes, and reprimands, wise words of encouragement and advice, and unbridled love and support; all at once, or whenever individually, necessary and required. Though our views differed at times, yet we understood that it was the sum of our various thoughts and actions, and not the individual view that made us whole and strong. We were, and are still, devastated by her passing and the gaping hole that it has left in our lives.
It was in the National Assembly that Mrs. Holder distinguished herself as a legislator and representative of the people par excellence. She holds the distinction, much to the chagrin of the government side at times, of submitting the most questions for answer by Ministers, and the most needling and provoking Motions for debate and adoption by the House. Though the parliamentary majority of the then time always weighed in against her, the victory was hers as adjudged at the court of public opinion.
In brief, I will attempt to chronicle some of the more noteworthy and monumental submissions of hers:
In December 2008 Mrs. Holder piloted a Motion to seek to have the people of Region 10 access television of their choice other than the rapacious NCN. In her opening remarks, she said:
“It is from my perspective, a very bad omen for all the Guyanese people when the need has arisen for me to come to the National Assembly to urge Government to respect the fundamental rights and freedom of the people in Linden and Wismar. Regrettably these are the testing times in which we live, so I have no other choice…”
Later in the debate, she was given to remark:
“But worse than that Mr. Speaker, is the greater cause for concern which this situation presents in the context of developing our fledgling democracy, since along with transparency and accountability; freedom of thought and expression form the very rationale needed for constructing a democratic society.”
Alas, in 2011 the people of Linden and the greater Region 10 continue to cry out for justice and respect despite entreaties, pleas, demands and petitions.
In her final presentation on a national budget in February, 2011, she took the Government to task citing examples of bad governance:
“Imagine telling us that they have adopted principles of inclusivity, when large sections of our society continue to express feelings of exclusion, describe their experiences of discrimination and being denied equal treatment and equal opportunity in their professions and businesses! How could members on that side of the House speak so brazenly about good governance when they’ve been dilly dallying for a decade on establishing the Public Procurement Commission, the Human Rights Commission and their attendant Tribunals?
“Real democracy could only be attained when there is no need for questions like these to be asked. Real democracy could only be attained when a programme is devised to devolve power to the people, restore village government and hold Local Government elections. Real democracy could only prevail when systems are put in place to allow the Judiciary and this National Assembly to be financially independent of the government.”
In an interview with the Stabroek News, given during the currency of that budget debate, Mrs. Holder exhort to the reporter that the current process as “a sham” because “it is not delivering on the expectations of the people, in terms of their development aspirations and ameliorating some of the issues facing them in the society.”
She reasoned, and rightly so, that the budget is supposed to look at the concerns of the society, and to come up with fiscal, social and economic solutions for these issues. Sheila set out her vision for better fiscal management by recommending the adaptation of a system that exists in the more developed economies and societies whereby there is interaction with specific sections of the society. Her recommendation was that the Budget should only be finalised after interactions with members of the business sector, NGOs, Women’s groups and other sections of civil society. In such a reformed system, the Finance Minister would be required to submit an outline of proposed expenditure to the Economic Sector Committee of the National Assembly prior to the final budget being presented, so that it could be subject to intense scrutiny.
The “Holder initiative”, wholly supported by the AFC, advocated that during budget deliberations, representatives from various sectors of civil society would be invited and changes could be suggested. Following this process, the suggested changes would be submitted to the Finance Minister who would take them to the Cabinet for review. These suggestions, in turn, should serve as a guideline to Cabinet, when it is preparing its estimates. Subsequently, a report outlining these estimates should be laid in the National Assembly, after which it is debated. To continue with the present system would be to “reduce the political contemptuousness” that currently characterizes the presentation of the annual budget in the National Assembly. I need not add how vitally needed, and important, these wholesome recommendations are in this 10th Parliament if we are to pilot the nation’s economy together, and safely.
Lastly, in October 2010, Mrs. Holder introduced for debate an all important, and still relevant, Motion with the following Resolve Clauses:
BE IT RESOLVED:
That this National Assembly recognises that a strong democracy requires healthy political parties, resources to sustain and operate a basic party structure capable of representing people, contributing creativity to the public policy debate, and contesting elections; and that the role of money in politics undeniably influences the quality of democracy and governance;
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That the Government presents to the National Assembly such relevant laws and regulations pertaining to political party campaign financing; curtail abuse of public resources by the incumbent leading up to and during elections as recommended by the Commonwealth Secretariat in order to create a level playing field for contesting parties at elections in Guyana.”
I could not leave Mrs. Holder’s parliamentary work without referring to the matter that created the greatest controversy of all; senior citizens’ pensions. A squall was created in the Assembly when Sheila pointed to empirical data to show that many deserving pensioners were being denied their just rewards because the list was padded by unscrupulous beings who not only crowded out the deserving who had served the country with distinction, but also, prevented a much needed increase from being granted. During the debate, Mrs. Holder was called on by an Honourable Member from the other side to retract her statements, and her response to the Hon. Speaker, is vintage Sheila Holder. She stood her ground and said: “I will retract nothing, Mr. Speaker. I am prepared to give the study to the Hon. Minister and to the Auditor General.”
I smiled yesterday when I read a Demerara Waves report headlined: “Pension System Reform to Be A Priority”-Minister Jennifer Webster. Like a punctuation mark on a long and distinguished parliamentary career the words first uttered in Spanish: “La historia me absolverá” and translated, “History Will Absolve Me” have brought a fitting end to a sordid matter that has seen her posthumously vindicated. The truth has set us free.
In conclusion, Sheila’s life and legacy can best be summed up in her own words; uttered by her at the launch of the AFC’s electoral campaign in January of this year:
“As a woman, a wife, a mother and a grandmother my mission is to leave a better Guyana for my children and your children my grandchildren and your grandchildren. I feel confident there are sufficient people who now understand the significance of Thomas Kuhn’s discovery to make our mission for Government a reality. “For every significant breakthrough in the field of scientific endeavor is first a break with tradition, with the old ways of thinking, with the old paradigms”.
That is why, at this important juncture I ask all Guyanese to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that harms.”
In eternal tribute, I quote from Maya Angelou’s “Phenomenal Woman”:
“Now you understand
Just why my head’s not bowed.
I don’t shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It’s in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
‘Cause I’m a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That’s me.”
Sheila Valerie Holder was a phenomenal woman.
To her grieving husband, children, grand-children, sisters, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, friends, colleagues and supporters, I extend, on my own behalf, that of my family, and of the executive and membership of the Alliance For Change, our deepest condolences, and prayers for you to find peace and comfort in the knowledge that Sheila has completed her assignment and has been called home to rest. We wish to be associated with the Sheila Holder Community Service Fund, and promise, that the Party will establish a lasting legacy to honour the strength, contribution and memory of Sheila Valerie Holder.
The history of political struggle in post-independence Guyana is replete with examples of outstanding women whose courage, tenacity, and individuality have made an indelible mark on the politics in particular, and on the society in general. Sheila Holder is one such woman whose name must be added to the pantheon of greats. May her soul continue to rest in eternal peace and contentment. Well done Sheila!
December 20, 2011
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