GR: The most persistent public response to your selection as the PPP/C’s Prime Ministerial candidate has been one of surprise. That, I believe, has had to do with the fact that your public image has always been one of a professional rather than a politician. Was there a protracted soul-searching exercise that led you here and are you now fully emotionally settled in your new role as a politician?
EH: I don’t view myself as a politician. I view myself as a servant of the public and I see this role as a continuation of that service. I feel honoured and humbled to have been selected as the Prime Ministerial candidate of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. When I was offered the nomination I indicated to His Excellency President Donald Ramotar that there were two things that I would have to do – one was to pray about it and the other was to consult with my family… which I did. I am fully settled in my role and I am excited at what I can do as Prime Minister.
GR: I noticed that in your NCN interview you made several references to your interest in gender issues. Should you become Prime Minister, however, I expect that your portfolio will probably extend beyond that. Are there any other particular pressing national issues/ concerns which you might be keen to have put on your plate?
EH: I am concerned about all of the issues that affect the citizens of our country and I certainly look forward to working with all of my Cabinet colleagues in addressing these but there are some key issues that I would want to focus on and these are domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, support for the elderly and disabled and youth, in particular working to continue building an environment so that our young people would be encouraged to remain in Guyana and help to build a stronger, stable and more prosperous country. My experience would also allow me to contribute in the area of our international relations.
GR: There is, I believe, a general feeling that political affiliation is about conviction and I am assuming that that is so in your case. Could you tell me a bit about the particular policies of the government that would have led you to embrace it politically?
EH: I was never “affiliated” to a political party. With almost four decades of public service, I have served the government of the day – under the administrations of the People’s National Congress and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. I have witnessed the progressive policies of the PPP/C which have led to economic growth, improvements in the education and health sector and a housing programme that have transformed the lives of many. Guyana’s profile in the international arena has also been enhanced.
I believe that at this stage of our nation’s development, we need continuity of these policies that would provide stability and opportunities to consolidate the gains that have been made and I accepted this opportunity to be Prime Minister because I believe that the PPP/C can and will continue moving Guyana in the right direction.
GR: I suppose that as the days go by we will begin to see more of Elisabeth Harper the politician. Those of us who know you are already beginning to ask whether you are prepared for the rigours of campaigning, particularly addressing political rallies. Are you? And what are the kinds of issues that you are looking forward to articulating?
EH: Yes, I am prepared for the campaign and excited about the opportunity to get out on the campaign trail. Apart from the issues which I outlined earlier, the preservation of our sovereignty and territorial integrity will also form an integral part of what I will be articulating – it is important that we remain united on this.
GR: I suppose that even the fact of being named as the Prime Ministerial nominee would have changed your personal life in some ways. Tell me a bit about how your life may have changed and about the response to your decision by your family?
EH: In many ways, my life is no longer mine – it is now shared with the people of Guyana and I recognized that that would happen when I accepted the opportunity to run. That is what public service is – full transparency; and I am committed to doing whatever is necessary to continuing serving my fellow Guyanese. My family is fully supportive of my decision and this has brought us even closer.
GR: You have been in the Foreign Service for several years. Do you see the possibility of becoming Prime Minister as creating a further potential opportunity to serve Guyana on the international stage or are you seeing this as a different kind of challenge?
EH: I see this as an opportunity to serve Guyana at a higher level nationally and I am excited at the prospect.
GR: Some of the public comments on your nomination have had to do with what some people see as a post that does not carry a great deal of political clout. How do you respond perception in some quarters that the post of Prime Minister – again assuming that the PPP/C is returned to office – will be a sinecure position?
EH: The Prime Minister is integral to the decision making process of government and I do not expect that that will change. I feel strongly that I could make a worthwhile contribution to the efforts of President Ramotar and the government to take Guyana forward and would not have accepted the positon if I thought that it would not allow me to do so.
