The meteoric rise from Madam President of the Senate to Her Excellency, The Acting President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, may have fazed any other woman, but not Dr Linda Baboolal, who has never forgotten her late father's words when she was ten or eleven years old.
"Everybody knew I wanted to be a doctor. But my father said to me you can be anything you want to be and being a girl does not interfere with that. If you want to be a surveyor, driller, engineer, whatever, you can do it. And his words always stuck with me" said Her Excellency Dr Linda Baboolal, last Wednesday, one day after being sworn in by Acting Chief Justice Sat Sharma to act for President A.N.R. Robinson from April 9 to 17.
Seated opposite to Her Excellency in the President's Office, I was sure that there could have been no better choice for this historic appointment, the first woman to act as President of our country, than this very dignified and elegantly attired woman who has so far encountered just one problem. "I am accustomed to rushing to open my own door, here I have to sit and wait for them to open the door" she said with a smile.
"I feel good and quite capable of doing the job while I am here. I have said a few times already that it is a good opportunity for women. I hope women see this, and I mean young girls in particular, not as a political occasion but as advancement for women. And not necessarily as President because everybody cannot be President. I do not like to hear women say things like because I am a woman or girl I cannot do that. For myself I think that I have the ability, experience and maturity to do the job. I have faced many crises, emergencies, spur of the moment decisions, and have never backed down but have always done it all to the best of my ability and I will continue to do so."
The fact that under the present circumstances, where a general election could be called before the end of the year making the Senate presidency short term does not take away from this very pleasant woman's feeling of pride and joy. "I was very surprised when Mr Manning asked me to be President of the Senate, I accepted it because I felt I could do a good job. It took a little while for it to dawn on me that if you become President of the Senate you could be asked to act as President of the Republic, and it was a little daunting for a few moments but like everything else I have never backed away from a challenge or situation no matter how tough."
And what a challenge it has been thus far for this Barataria-born woman who did not even sit one day after being sworn in as President of the Senate in her Red House office, before she was forced to become acclimatised to the fact that she would be acting as President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. "On Friday after the Sitting in the House, Dr Lenny Saith mentioned: 'do you know you are acting next week. His Excellency is going abroad.' I did not know at all but thought it would be around Thursday or Friday which would give me a few days in the Senate office. I went to my office on Monday to be told by the Prime Minister the President is leaving on Tuesday and you will be acting."
"I set up appointments to be briefed by the Aide de Camp and there have really been no problems as things at President's House run very smoothly. I am simply following protocol as the staff are extremely helpful, very pleasant and so far my day has been a very good one." Emotional moments arose when we spoke of her late parents. And she was sorry that her parents and parents-in-law were not alive to have seen this ultimate step in her life. "Actually my mother passed away last November on the day we had the rally in the Square and presented the candidates for elections. After Woodford Square I went to the Nursing Home and she died about 15 minutes after I got there."
Her Excellency has been married to Dr Michael Baboolal, the District Medical Officer of Morvant, for forty years, and they are the proud parents of three daughters, two sons, seven granddaughters and one grandson. Another regret was the fact that four of her children and their families live abroad: "They were all disappointed at not being here, but at least one daughter, her husband and three children were here and they are enjoying all of it. They had dinner with us after the swearing-in ceremony."
The Baboolals met as teenagers at the Teenage Fraternity of the Himalaya Club which is where the acting President learned public speaking and debating. And were married right out of secondary school before leaving for Manitoba to study medicine. "He wanted us to get married and go and study together. Our first two daughters were born in Winnipeg. At that time it was difficult to get into medical school right away so we came back here after the first degree and the third daughter was born here. We then went with the three to Ireland to the Royal College of Surgeons and Physicians and our first son was born in Ireland. After graduation we came back here and I was working in the hospital and had my fifth child."
The couple elected to come back to Trinidad as they wanted to be with their parents, and even when Linda was offered a scholarship in pediatrics and her husband thought of specialising in orthopedics, they decided not to move their young family again.
Instead, Linda chose to go into family practice. "I am a people person, I like to sit with you and listen to what your problems are, medical and non-medical. In specialty you just treat the person and never see them again. This way I am seeing third generations now in my practice. Sometimes I have to intervene in family problems, and I really enjoy it."
It was easier for the Baboolals to move into the cottage on the President's Grounds rather than try to fit the maid, butler, cars and drivers, and security into their home. Her Excellency chuckled and explained "I live in a very simple house at 19 Cromwell Road, Cascade, and have no maid so the maid's room is now a laundry room. I do my own grocery. I come home after work and cook. I hate cleaning so have somebody to clean twice a week, and to have had all these people moving around in my little kitchen would have been more difficult than for my husband and I to pack a bag and come here."
The first day, last Wednesday, started like any other, a walk around the grounds with her husband, breakfast together, the D.M.O. went to work, while Her Excellency prepared for the weekly meeting with the Prime Minister, "He came here and we met, as usual, and dicussed generally the situation and he assured me everything was alright."
And although up to a few days ago she was the chairman of the political party of which Prime Minister Manning is political leader, Dr Baboolal is clear that politics will not be allowed to interfere with her duties as acting President. And has already displayed a great deal of statesmanship when she resigned formally as chairman of the People's National Movement before becoming President of the Senate, and for that matter says "from January when I was asked and accepted the position, did not chair the General Council or Central Executive. I immediately started to take a low political profile."
Does Linda Baboolal see herself accepting nomination as the next President of this country? When and if the time comes for this gracious woman to decide if she would like to be nominated for the position of President of the Republic she simply said "if it is right for me to accept I will do so, but this is certainly good training. However whether it is me or someone else, I see absolutely no reason why a woman should not be the next President of the country and if I am called upon I will give it serious consideration."
Her Excellency, Dr Linda Baboolal might entertain a few friends and family in the next few days, will fulfil all that is required of the President, will definitely be at Piarco airport to meet President A.N.R. Robinson on April 17, and from the time he lands will go from acting President of the Republic back to President of the Senate.