Gérandale Télusma
{{Short description|Haitian politician (1972–2010)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| image = Gérandale Télusma.png
| office = Member of the Chamber of Deputies
for Gros Morne
| termstart = 21 April 2006
| termend = 20 December 2010
| predecessor = Marcson Erdain
| successor = Fritz Chéry
| party = Mochrenha
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1972|10|27|df=y}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2010|12|20|1972|10|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Gros Morne, Haiti
| death_place = Desdunes, Haiti
| alma_mater = State University of Haiti
}}
Gérandale Télusma (27 October 1972 – 20 December 2010) was a Haitian lawyer and politician who served in the Chamber of Deputies of Haiti from 2006 until her death in 2010. A member of the Christian Movement for a New Haiti party, she represented Gros Morne in the legislature. During her tenure, Télusma had a significant role in increasing the minimum wage, and was considered to be one of Haiti's most prominent advocates for women.
Biography
Gérandale Télusma was born on 27 October 1972 in Gros Morne, Haiti. She was raised in a single-parent household, as her father had abandoned the family before she was born. Her mother, Renette Thélusma, was a teacher. According to Télusma, the "H" in her surname had been removed by a civil service officer. Télusma was very close with her mother and grew up in Gros Morne, completing a substantial portion of her initial education in the town. For her secondary education, she attended the Lycée Marie-Jeanne in Port-au-Prince, graduating with a baccalaureate in 1992. Following this, she began pursuing a legal education, studying at the State University of Haiti and receiving a degree in legal science. Télusma went on to work as a lawyer at the Haitian National Police and the National Palace.{{Cite web |last=Daudier |first=Valéry |date=December 20, 2010 |title=Décès tragique de Gérandale Télusma |trans-title=Tragic death of Gérandale Télusma |url=https://lenouvelliste.com/article/86951/deces-tragique-de-gerandale-telusma |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Le Nouvelliste |language=fr}}{{Cite web |last= |date=2010-12-20 |title=L'ex-députée Gérandale Télusma tuée dans un accident |trans-title=Former deputy Gérandale Télusma killed in an accident |url=https://archive.maximini.com/fr/news/guadeloupe/guadeloupe/lex-deputee-gerandale-telusma-tuee-dans-un-accident-2/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=MAXImini.com |language=fr-FR}}
In the 2006 Haitian general election, Télusma was elected to the Chamber of Deputies, representing Gros Morne as a member of the Christian Movement for a New Haiti party.{{Cite web |date=December 19, 2006 |title=Sénatoriales du Nord-Est: la Fusion remporte les deux premiers sièges, le troisième revient au PONT |trans-title=Northeast Senatorial: Fusion wins the first two seats, the third goes to the PONT |url=http://www.radiokiskeya.com/spip.php?article2931 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Radio Kiskeya |language=fr}} She was recruited to run by several prominent citizens of Gros Morne, who wished to be represented in the legislature by a woman. During her tenure, Télusma held several prominent positions, particularly becoming the secretary of the Chamber of Deputies. She was also the chairman of the Social Affairs and Women’s Rights Committee; in this position, Télusma led the reformation of Haiti's adoption laws.{{Cite web |last=Vigo |first=Julian |date=2016-09-23 |title=Living La Vida Loca |url=https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/09/23/living-la-vida-loca/ |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=CounterPunch |language=en-US}} In 2009, she served as the chairman of a special commission tasked with drafting legislation to increase the minimum wage. Télusma was initially a proponent of increasing the minimum wage to 200 gourdes ({{To USD|200|Haiti|year=2009}} USD) a day, up from 90 gourdes ({{To USD|90|Haiti|year=2009}} USD); however, following objections from President René Préval, a compromise was passed, increasing the minimum wage to 125 gourdes ({{To USD|125|Haiti|year=2009}} USD) per day for manufacturing jobs and 200 gourdes per day for commercial jobs.{{Cite web |date=December 19, 2011 |title=Gros-Morne commémore la vie de la défunte députée Gérandale Télusma |trans-title=Gros-Morne commemorates the life of the late deputy Gérandale Télusma |url=https://www.alterpresse.org/spip.php?article12098 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=AlterPresse |language=fr}}{{Cite news |date=December 22, 2010 |title=La députée Gérandale Thélusma morte dans un accident de voiture |language=fr |trans-title=Deputy Gérandale Thélusma died in a car accident |pages=2 |work=Haïti en Marche |url=https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/UF/00/09/88/09/00435/00012-22-2010.pdf |access-date=April 3, 2023 |via=University of Florida Digital Collections}} Télusma is regarded as having been one of the most prominent advocates for "raising female leadership" in Haiti.{{Cite web |date=December 20, 2010 |title=Fallece candidata a parlamento haitiano en accidente vial |trans-title=Haitian parliamentary candidate dies in road accident |url=https://www.granma.cu/granmad/2010/12/20/interna/artic26.html |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Granma |language=es}}
Télusma ran for re-election in the 2010–11 Haitian general election, facing journalist Fritz Chéry of the Haiti in Action party. However, in the early morning of 20 December 2010, Télusma was killed in a car accident when the vehicle she had been travelling in lost control and "violently collided" with a parked bus on National road 1. The other three passengers, one of whom was her uncle, were critically injured. Télusma was 38 at the time of her death. Among those who paid tribute following her death were Edmond Mulet, the head of the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti, who stated that her death was "a great loss for Haitian women and for the nation"; Jocelyn Lassègue, a government minister and close ally of Télusma, who stated that her death was a "cataclysm"; and President Préval, who expressed condolences.{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=December 20, 2010 |title=Muere candidata a diputada de Haití en accidente de tráfico |trans-title=Haitian congresswoman candidate dies in traffic accident |url=https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/muere-candidata-a-diputada-de-hait-en-accidente-de-trfico-MNDL273096 |access-date=2023-04-04 |website=Diario Libre |language=es}}
References
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Category:Road incident deaths in Haiti
Category:20th-century Haitian lawyers
Category:21st-century Haitian lawyers
Category:21st-century Haitian politicians
Category:21st-century Haitian women politicians
Category:Christian Movement for a New Haiti politicians
Category:Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Haiti)