Sheila Holder championed the causes of all Guyanese

Dear Editor,
The 65-year-old Sheila Holder who was also a member of parliament was a stalwart who championed the causes of all Guyanese. She was well known both locally and internationally for her contribution in Parliament. She fearlessly represented her country and her party, Alliance for Change, at countless meetings overseas. She was indeed a true patriot.

Ms Holder was called upon to serve the Alliance for Change and worked her way up finally becoming  the prime ministerial candidate in 2011. She was with the party for a number of years. The late Ms Holder had a sound knowledge as a parliamentarian in all areas, and she had used her wealth of experience to lobby for improved conditions for the poor and downtrodden in Guyana. This ‘country girl’ was a’ grass roots‘ woman. She had her own style in dealing with peoples’ problems. One of her visions was to increase the income of single parents and pensioners and their quality of life. One approach she took to ensure this was to encourage the poor to fight for their rights which will made them independent and hence result in an increase in their pensions.

Ms Holder always worked assiduously to have unity among the parties since she believed that this was the way forward. Our country and Parliament suffered a great loss by her passing. We, as a people, will have to work on the foundation she laid to continue building Guyana. Her demise came as a shock to all. Her exuberance and simplicity encouraged those who came into contact with her to be steadfast and relentless under political pressure and to be hopeful while working to achieve better goals.

In her own aggressive and indomitable style, she has touched the lives of those who worked or associated with her in some way. She will be remembered by all as a fighter all the way in the interest of Guyana, especially by the Parliament and her party.
Yours faithfully,
Mohamed Khan