All smiles with one happy child receiving a gift from her
First Lady Deolatchmie Ramotar has been busy this Christmas season – visiting the Paediatric Ward of the Georgetown Public Hospital and the Palms Geriatric Home, giving out gifts and other goodies to the patients and residents of these institutions as she settles into her new role as the wife of President Ramotar.
In an interview with Guyana Times Sunday Magazine, the First Lady said she is adapting to this new role quite easily.
“I have so many plans I hope to achieve, but I must take everything in stride. Nothing has really changed since becoming the First Lady, although I’m more in the public’s eye. When I go do my shopping people would point me out; but I don’t attract attention to myself. I like my privacy,” she noted.
The First Lady grew up on the Essequibo coast and was the sixth of ten children.
She attended school there and later did a stint of teaching at one the schools she had attended. In 1969 she went to Georgetown and applied to the Guyana Technical Institute (GTI) for a secretarial course, and at that time applied to the public hospital to be a nursing student. She worked at the public hospital for more than 13 years and completed a programme in midwifery.
Placing a Santa hat on one of the children at public hospital
While at GTI she met her current husband, President Donald Ramotar.
“We just talked – never anything intimate. In 1973 I was stationed in Bartica as a nurse and came back to Georgetown to spend a weekend during December that year. We happened to bump into each other and everything is history after that,” she said reminiscing.
They got married, and when her husband joined the PPP he was sent to Czechoslovakia where they spent 5 years. During that time, she said, they already had two children. Later, she had her last son in Czechoslovakia.
“Our family life was wonderful. We both worked and made everything work. Our focus was to give our children the best education possible.
“We have taught them to be honest and to work for whatever they want. We have been married for 37 years and our secret is giving each other space. We both had jobs and when we got home we spent quality time together reconnecting. We both have understanding, which is vital for any relationship.”
The first family has not yet moved into State House, and the First Lady disclosed that it is currently undergoing renovations but they would be moving over as soon as all work has been completed.
The First Lady and her daughter Lisa visit the Palms
With all her children no longer at home, the Christmas season is a quiet one in the home for her, but usually for the Christmas season, the First lady related that, her entire family would assemble at their East Coast home where they would enjoy “warm association”. She said it would be very different this year because the host will be the president.
And the hustle and bustle of cooking for the festive season? “Cooking is not my strong point so I don’t cook up a storm around this time. However, I seek out help like catering around this time, and my daughter bakes and makes ice-cream – which she loves doing,” she revealed.
For relaxation, she enjoys a good television programme, reading or spending time in her garden. She views education as the foundation for a secure future and encourages all young people to empower themselves by advancing their academic qualifications.
She is irked knowing many women leave their jobs when they get married. Her encouragement to women is, if it is preferable, to be independent and stick to their jobs.
“As the First Lady I want to effect change. I’ll do whatever it takes to help my people. I encourage all to work together in taking Guyana forward,” she said.
One of her pet projects is to work in collaboration with the Ministry of Housing in its core-housing programme.
She stated that there are many families that are beneficiaries of house lots but do not have the finances to build a home. Her aim is to look into strengthening this programme and help families to build houses.
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