President Ramotar remembers her as “a livewire in Parliament”
MRS Deborah Backer, popularly known as “Debbie Backer”, attorney-at-law, former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, political heavyweight, senior member of the People’s National Congress Reform and of A Partnership for National Unity, died early yesterday, a statement from the political coalition A Partnership for National Unity confirmed.

The passing of this hard-core politician, who recently resigned from Parliament and public offices to focus on her health, has signalled the end of a ding-dong battle with cancer, with which she was recently diagnosed.

The irrepressible Deborah Backer had been in politics for most of her life. She entered Parliament in 1997, but had previously served as a councillor with the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) in 1994. During her political life, she served on several important organisations and social clubs, which constitute part of her claim to fame and popularity, augmented by her professional practice as an astute attorney-at-law.

This APNU Parliamentarian was well known and mostly dearly loved for the life she injected into the National Assembly, especially during the debates on the National Budget, which incidentally should begin within the next two weeks.
Ms. Backer’s daughter just recently received a gift on her behalf, as she was among the female Parliamentarians who contributed tremendously to the work of the National Assembly.

Mrs Backer had been one of the candidates on the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) ticket for the 2001 National Elections. Prior to, and even after that campaign, she had remained very visible at functions of the Opposition, and had, at the community level, participated in several meetings of the National Assembly.

His Excellency President Donald Ramotar, who once served in the National Assembly on the Government side of the House, while Mrs Backer had been a Parliamentarian, described Mrs Backer’s death as indeed shocking and a blow to him, since they had worked very closely.

The President’s tribute
In an invited comment to this newspaper yesterday, President Ramotar said the late Mrs Backer had been a stalwart in politics. He reflected on the excellent relationship they had maintained despite their being on opposite sides of the House, and he recalled seeing her for the last time on Christmas Day, when they had shared a pleasant conversation.

The President said he had admired Mrs Backer because, while he knew she had not been feeling well, she had not allowed her failing health to get her down, and had proved to be a fighter to the very end.

He said that in his conversation with Mrs Backer last year, he had recognised in her that typically optimistic individual whose pains had never been able to temper her mood.

The President said he remembers this fallen political stalwart as a livewire in the National Assembly, who had kept debates alive; and her heckling will be something unforgettable when the late Mrs Deborah Backer is spoken of in the future.

The Head of State was clear in his assessment of the sterling contribution this former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly had made to the Parliament of Guyana, and he said her passing is indeed a big loss not only to politics, her family and the People’s National Congress, but to the nation as a whole.
By Leroy Smith and Asif Hakim