| Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud cremated - Thousands turned out to pay their last respects to a man who had worked his way into Guyana’s history |  |  |  |
| Written by Parvati Persaud-Edwards |
| Thursday, 11 April 2013 23:56 |
THE final rites and cremation of the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, OR, took place yesterday.
 ‘FINAL JOURNEY’: Dr. Vindhya Persaud and Vishok Persaud, the daughter and son of the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, accompanying the body of their father as the funeral cortege makes its way from Freedom House, to the International Conference Centre, then to the Good Hope crematorium for final rites and cremation, yesterday. (Cullen Bess-Nelson photo) Long-standing and high-profile executive member of the PPP, Ms. Gail Teixeira’s voice broke as she related that Pandit Persaud was one of the last surviving members of the first generation of PPP members, and that he had served the party for almost 60 years as an outstanding leader who was wise and prudent and a gentleman parliamentarian. Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that Persaud symbolised the struggle for independence, national and social liberation, and the restoration of democracy. He lauded Persaud for staying with the party throughout and never betraying the struggle, but stood resolutely at the side of Dr. Cheddi Jagan, lending guidance and support to members. Pandit ‘Reep’ served the PPP/C Government as Minister of Agriculture when it assumed administrative office in 1992, and subsequently as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. According to Rohee, when the PPP/C assumed office, agriculture was a failed sector, which Persaud transformed and laid the groundwork for national food security. Persaud, related Rohee, had made a magnificent contribution to the struggle for the restoration of free and fair elections. From Freedom House, the funeral procession then continued to the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, where the official ceremony and viewing of the body took place. Speaking at that forum, President Donald Ramotar recalled the hard years of struggle and said Pandit ‘Reep’ fought tenaciously against colonialism and for the restoration of democracy in Guyana, and he continued the struggle and had made contributions in all the sectors. The President asserted that Persaud could neither be bought nor threatened. His work with the party, said the President, was the way he lived out his religious convictions. ‘Action thy duty, reward not thy concern’, the motto of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (a major, far-reaching and powerful Hindu Organisation that Pandit Reep founded), fits the principle and practice of the PPP. According to President Ramotar, Reepu Daman Persaud became the confidante of Dr. Jagan, and described him as a great orator who was never wrong on constitutional law. One of Persaud’s greatest achievements in the National Assembly was to bring back the Hansard to Parliament after an absence for many years, revealed the President. Representing the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Mrs. Chandra Gajraj, said that Hindus believe in the immortality of the soul and that ‘Pandit’ had revolutionised Hinduism in Guyana. She believes he has attained Moksha because he was a great soul. According to PPP stalwart, who is also Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon, Pandit ‘Reep’ had worked his way into Guyana’s history, and his personal attributes had endeared him to legions of people everywhere. Former Opposition Leader Robert Corbin waxed lyrical and quoted poetry during his delivery, and said that Persaud was a pandit of unquestionable patriotism, who was deeply religious, with strong political convictions. According to Corbin, Pandit ‘Reep’ was gracious, well-spoken and always sought to restore relationships. He expressed pleasure that Persaud’s contributions were recognised in his lifetime by the National Assembly. Former president Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo was in vintage form as he described Pt. ‘Reep’ as someone who was respected, adored and loved across Guyana and in the wider world. Dr. Jagdeo spoke of the gains achieved through unrelenting struggle and the two men who helped to shape his public life in a major way – Dr. Cheddi Jagan and Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud. He recalled when the colonials justified making education for East Indians inaccessible and the relentless struggle to change the status quo, which is currently in danger of reversal, and he related that East Indians in Guyana had high-level jobs and they came under attack because of their race. According to Dr. Jagdeo, these persons’ qualifications do not matter, nor any other factor. All that was being considered was their race, which had distressed Pt. ‘Reep’, who was an integral part of a long, hard fight to create conditions of equal opportunities for all – across every divide. Another injustice that had pained Pt. ‘Reep’, according to Dr. Jagdeo, is the departure from parliamentary norms and practices, whereby the PPP, despite having the largest bloc of votes, was denied of both the speakership and the Deputy speakership. He urged that the best way to pay tribute to Pt. ‘Reep’ is to ensure that the gains of freedom and equal opportunity for all not be reversed, and that everyone has to be a part of preserving those freedoms. Also making presentations at the formal ceremony were daughter and son of Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, Dr. Vindhya Persaud and Vishok Persaud. Tributes were also paid by Sheik Moen ul-Hack; Reverend Kwame Gilbert; Student of the Dharmic Rama Krishna School Sonia Geer;and members of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha from Trinidad and the diaspora. After viewing of the body, the funeral cortege then proceeded to the Good Hope crematorium for final rites and cremation.
|
