The late Dr Faith Harding was a hard worker and insightful thinker, whose contribution to Guyana’s development is beyond question, according to Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman.
“During her years of service, she established a sterling reputation for hard work, insightful thinking and decisive decision-making, and in so doing, earned the admiration and respect of her colleagues and all Guyana,” Trotman said in a statement in which he expressed condolences to the family of Harding on behalf of himself and the Assembly. “Faith Harding not only showed what women were capable of achieving in a male-dominated political sphere, she also managed to do so with a charm and grace that made her earn the title of being an outstanding Guyanese woman,” he added.
Trotman recalled that she joined the National Assembly in 1985 as a non-elected technocrat member following her appointment as a Minister of State within the Ministry of Planning and Development. Thereafter, she continued as an elected member in 1986 up until 2001; save and except for a short hiatus from July 1994-May 1996.
During her time in government, he said, Harding held several ministerial portfolios, including Minister within the Ministry of Planning and Development, Minister of Public Service and Minister in the Office of the President.
She was also well-known for her exquisite appreciation for fine things, keen sense of fashion, insistence on high standards of excellence and an amiable personality “that made the difficult things seem simple and enjoyable,” he added. Trotman said the entire membership of the National Assembly and Parliament Office staff sympathise with Harding’s relatives and friends, while adding that she will be “truly and forever missed.”
