Testament to how she lived her life, Guyanese from all walks of life clamoured to say goodbye to late senior member of the People’s National Congers Reform (PNCR) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and Attorney-at-Law, Deborah Backer. Mourners filed orderly around her casket as her body briefly lay in the forecourt of Public Buildings located in Brickdam and made a procession over to the St. Andrews Kirk Church opposite.

At the formal proceedings tributes were made to Backer by representatives from the Lions Club of Georgetown; the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers (GAWL), the Guyana Bar Association, Speaker of the National Assembly the Hon. Raphael Trotman, Leader of the Opposition, Mr. David Granger and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall.
A representative of the Lions Club of D’Urban Park, reminded the congregation of her outstanding contribution to Lionism. Backer was instrumental in forming the SS D’Urban Park Lions Club and on December 1, 1993 was installed Captain of the 25-member organisation. She served as Charter President of that Club from 1993-1995.
Backer, dubbed “Forever Captain” was remembered as dynamic, jovial, charismatic, loyal, honest and a humble individual who took her responsibilities as a Charter President seriously. The ‘Woman of Steel” as described by her Lions colleagues was a stickler for good grammar, proper dress and punctuality, and coached and mentored the younger Lions.
The Guyana Association of Women’s Lawyers (GAWL) described Backer as an excellent mediator who believed all persons had a right to access justice. GAWL described her as articulate, assertive, modest and always well prepared. GAWL added that she was one of the few female attorneys who not only entered the field of criminal practice, but also excelled in it. Backer played an instrumental role along with Justice Desiree Bernard in forming the Association in 1987. The pair recruited other female lawyers and Backer served as the first secretary for two years. Backer continued until her death, to encourage female lawyers from each new batch to join GAWL.
The Guyana Bar Association praised Backer for her contribution to the Linden Legal Aid Centre, where she was a founding director as well as one of several senior attorneys-at-law who generously donated their legal services to the people of Linden who she represented both in the Christianburg Magistrate’s Court and the High Court.

Backer found the time to travel to Linden to listen to the stories of people who would otherwise never have been able to afford an attorney, and her wealth of experience in civil proceedings and mediation and her ability to empathise with the plight of the poor and dispossessed, resulted in the satisfactory resolution of many contentious civil proceedings where the differences between the parties initially appeared to be irreconcilable.
This last quality was also praised by Attorney General Anil Nandlall who said that she was a most pleasant and able opponent and also praised her excellent mediation skills. He reminisced that she was a live wire in parliament and recalled several amusing anecdotes to the delight of all present.
Speaker Raphael Trotman recalled that Backer was like a sister, giving requisite doses of advice and correction. He reminisced about her famous wit and her ability to twist any words into something humorous and satirical.
Opposition Leader David Granger described Backer as a “supremely confident” person who was confident without being self centred. She saw her colleagues as peers instead of rivals. She was very confident of her lineage and imparted this value on her professional and political life. Her involvement in so many areas is a testament of her commitment to humanity, Granger noted.
Backer was the third daughter of Sheik Mohamed and Barbara (née Owen) Osman and was a devout Christian of the Presbyterian denomination. She was married to Stephen Gordon Backer and the union bore two children – Nigel Anthony and Natasha Alana.
Mrs. Backer, in her professional life, attended the St Gabriel’s Primary and the Bishops’ High Schools. She graduated with a Bachelor of Law (Hons.) degree from the University of the West Indies and earned the Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School two years later in 1983. She has been a practising attorney-at-law for over 30 years.
She attended courses in Conflict Analysis and Resolution conducted by the University of Guyana-Clark Atlantic University; Mediator Skills Training by the Supreme Court of Guyana and the Carter Center and the Defence Planning and Resource Management and the Advanced Policy-making Seminar: Transformation, Defence and Security Challenges in the Caribbean by the National Defence University, Washington D.C., all in 2002.

In her political life, she served as a PNCR member of the Georgetown City Council (1994-97) and as a member of the National Assembly (1998-2014), resigning only last month. She was elected Deputy Speaker in January 2012 and APNU’s shadow minister and spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and was also Chairperson of the Foreign Relations Committee. She served on several Standing and Special Select Committees. She was respected and will be is remembered for her vast and detailed knowledge of the National Assembly’s Standing Orders.

She was a member of the PNCR Central Executive (from 1998) and Vice-Chairperson (2004-2006). She was, at the time of her death, chairperson of the party’s Constitution Reform Committee following a decision at the 2012 Congress.

In her public life she served as President of the Guyana Society for the Blind (1985-86) and as a member of the International Association of Lions Clubs and a member of the Guyana Association of Women Lawyers, since 1988. She was also Secretary of the University of the West Indies Guild of Undergraduates (1980-1981) and President of the Bishops’ High School Old Students’ Association (1993-94).

Backer was recognised and honoured by the National Assembly for her Parliamentary service earlier this month to mark International Women’s Day.
By Michelle Gonsalves