| Premchand Dass – citizen extraordinaire, passes away |  |  |  |
| Written by PARVATI PERSAUD-EDWARDS |
| Friday, 13 July 2012 21:04 |
| PPP veteran supporter and partner-in-struggle, City Councillor and GAWU stalwart, Mr. Premchand Dass passed away on July, 6 2012. On May 25, 1998, Dass joined the municipality as a Councillor, representative of the PPP/C, following the 1994 local government elections. There he was acknowledged as having served with distinction on the Finance, Personnel and Training and Investment and Development Committees of the Council.  President Donald Ramotar among mourners at the funeral of Mr. Premchand Dass yesterday. After reminiscing on shared experiences during the long years of struggle in the PYO, the PPP, and GAWU, President Ramotar said “I believe the best way that we can perpetuate his memory and honour him is to continue fighting for and working for the things that he fought for during his lifetime because, while much has been achieved, while a lot of things have changed, while he was able to live to see workers getting their own homes, while he was able to live to see workers’ children receiving better education, while he was able to live to see working people having more access to better health services, while he was able to see many of the things that he struggled for achieved in the labour movement – the Recognition Bill passed, the increased work towards the democratization of the labour movement, at the same time there is still a far way to go; and still a lot of work to be done.”  PPP veteran supporter and partner-in-struggle, City Councillor and GAWU stalwart, Mr. Premchand Dass passed away on July, 6 2012. In photo, President Donald Ramotar is seen offering comforting words to Mr. Dass’s widow during the funeral ceremony yesterday. The President continued “Of course, Prem would have told you himself that Marxism is not a dogma, but a guide to action, and we have to take the new condition, that we have helped to create, and apply those teachings of those times – and that is the best way to honour his memory – to continue to remain loyal to working people, to remain loyal to the cause we serve in the fight for unity of the people of this country…to abhor racism in this country….and the fight for the classless society…for (an) equal society. Those are the things that we have to continue to dedicate ourselves toward. In that way we can perpetuate the life of Cde. Premchand Dass.” Dass was a senior official of the main sugar union GAWU for many years and yesterday at his funeral Chairman of that union, Komal Chand, paid tribute to the almost three decades of service of that dedicated worker who was an integral part of the long and difficult struggle for GAWU to become the recognized union for field and factory workers in the sugar belt. Eulogizing Dass, Chand said of the latter’s appointment as Field-Secretary for the Albion/Port Mourant Estate: “His past association with workers’ struggles gave him a distinct advantage in his new job…Cde. Premchand learned early that a good worker’s leader is one with a sound understanding of the working-class ideology. His theoretical groundings developed through his participation in the educational courses overseas and those held locally by the People’s Progressive Party. His grasp of Marxism-Leninism, the scientific theory of the working-class made him a prime candidate to head the GAWU school.” Chand recalled the many areas in which Dass contributed to the Union and its various and related activities over the decades of his employment and/or association with GAWU, which lasted even during his twilight years as he served as archivist of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre. He was specially appreciative of Dass’ commitment to GAWU when”…he would often come over to the Union’s Headquarters with any documents having relevance to sugar and GAWU, to make a copy for the Union to have, especially in light of the destruction of GAWU’s rich historical records, which were lost during post-elections disturbances when a fire fully gutted the Union’s Office on Regent Street in April 2001. “Many workers and students who attended GAWU’s school and the People’s Progressive Party Accabre College will remember Prem. They will recall him especially as a strong believer in and a consistent advocate of the Marxist-Leninist theory, which speaks to the liberation of the working-class from the shackles of exploitation. “Comrades and friends, we no longer have Prem, who was an uncompromising follower of Cheddi Jagan, but we have his memories. As a unionist and a politician he did his duty. He made a sterling contribution for the improvement of the lives of workers and the betterment of Guyana.” Reiterating President Ramotar’s charge, MC and comrade-in-struggle, Navin Chanderpal said that the most fitting tribute that can be given to their comrade, Premchand Dass, is not in what is being said, but in the continuance of efforts to ensure that the ideals that characterized Dass’ life are maintained. In August of 2009 Dass received a gold pendant, replicating the Union’s logo and a “Certificate in Recognition of his Sterling Contribution to the Growth, Development and Consolidation of the Union.” Premchand Dass was born on January 02, 1942 and remained actively employed in one capacity or another until mere months before his demise. He fell ill and was hospitalized prior to his passing. Highlights of his trade union and political service include, inter alia: 1960: joined PYO and PPP; 1965 – 1966: Superintendent of Accabre College; 1967 – 1968: First Secretary, PYO National Steering Committee; 1967 – 1975: Manager, Michael Forde Bookshop and GIMPEX N/A; 1975 – 1976: PPP Organiser; 1976 – 1985: GAWU Field Secretary, Albion Estate; 1978 – 2012: Executive Member of GAWU, First Vice-President; 1985 – 2002: Education and Research Officer, GAWU; 1985 – 2002: Principal, Accabre College; 1988 – 2008: Member of Central Committee of PPP; 1994 – 2012: PPP Councillor, Georgetown City Council; 2008 – 2012: Supervisor, Cheddi Jagan Research Centre. For his sterling contribution in his various spheres of endeavour, Dass was conferred with Guyana’s Golden Arrow of Achievement; Long Service Awards by the PYO and the PPP; and the Dedicated Service Award by the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union. His funeral cortege proceeded from his home in Eccles to Freedom House, then to the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre and GAWU Headquarters, in that order, before finally continuing on to the cremation grounds at Good Hope for final rites and cremation. Officiating was Priest-in-Charge of the Bhawani-Shankar Mandir of Eccles. |
