Rohee…
PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee addressing the gathering. At the Head table are, from left: Chairman Kellawan Lall; PYO colleague and close friend of the late Cde. Navin; Neil Kumar; WPO General Secretary Sheila Veerasammy; GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine; RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj; and longstanding PPP member, Cde. Hydar Ally
PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee addressing the gathering. At the Head table are, from left: Chairman Kellawan Lall; PYO colleague and close friend of the late Cde. Navin; Neil Kumar; WPO General Secretary Sheila Veerasammy; GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine; RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar Seeraj; and longstanding PPP member, Cde. Hydar Ally

The story of Navin Chandarpal ‘is a work in progress’
–as PPP pays moving tribute to a Fallen Comrade

HUNDREDS gathered last evening on the lawns of the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre in Kingston, Georgetown to salute the memory of the late Navin Chandarpal in what was a poignant event that turned out to be a celebration of the life and works of notably one of Guyana’s noblest sons.

WPO General Secretary, Ms Sheila Veerasammy delivering her tribute
WPO General Secretary, Ms Sheila Veerasammy delivering her tribute

Tributes poured in from a speakers list of the People’s Progressive Party’s most recognised political leaders, but sentiments of loss echoed throughout the audience as those speakers articulated how the legacy of Cde. Navin Chandarpal, who was deserving of many accolades, could best be remembered.

The Party’s sympathies were conveyed to the family of the fallen Comrade by PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee, who lamented that although there is a conventional way of addressing the memory of someone who has passed, he was at a loss for words, since the story of Navin Chandarpal is a “work in progress.”

Rohee touted Chandarpal as a man who had grown in life and vitality with the party. “Navin was a very multidimensional and complex individual, and he was also very complex in his thinking and his analysis,” Rohee declared.

A section of the gathering on the lawns of the “Red House”
A section of the gathering on the lawns of the “Red House”

Rohee painted Chandarpal as a lover of the sciences, since he was a man “who contributed in no small measure to the thinking capacity of the PPP to make it… where it is today.”

Outlining the major feats of the fallen comrade, Rohee credited Chandarpal with being not only a significant contributor “to every single critical and major policy-making decision in the PPP”, but also recognised him for his resounding voice in the debate of contesting rigged elections in Guyana’s dark era.

“His view was that we should boycott elections,” Rohee said, adding that Cde. Navin “made no bones about making his views known.”

It was evident that Cde. Navin was in no way limited to the insular boundaries of Guyana, since according to Rohee, his adamance for the support of “progressive international foreign policy” saw Guyana recognising the People’s Republic of China, the Soviet Union and Vietnam, as he pushed his “strong anti-imperialistic” rhetoric.

Having to deal with Cde. Navin’s memory rather than his physical presence was harder for some than others; Women’s Progressive Organisation General Secretary Cde. Sheila Veerasammy was moved to tears at the podium during her tribute.

She remembered Cde. Navin as being her greatest comforter as well as her greatest critic, since he was “a no-nonsense comrade”, but she said he was always a man who saw the glass as half full rather than half empty.
Longstanding PPP member Hydar Ally recognised that although it was a sad day for the party, “we are not here so much to mourn his passing as we are here to celebrate his life and his works.”

“He was a man of integrity, very modest and unassuming, and never allowed the glare of office to interfere with his grassroots touch,” Ally said.

This view was similarly shared by General Secretary of the Rice Producers Association, Cde. Dharamkumar Seeraj, who expressed his fondness for Cde. Navin’s ease of adaptability from the office to the people of the grassroots, “as he never lost sight of where he came from, who he was, what he aspired to be, what he wanted to be.”

“Even in his personal life, he displayed characteristics of a person who was strong [and] who was compassionate,” Seeraj said, as he spoke on Cde. Navin’s compassionate character. “Even in his last days, Cde. Indra told me he was so strongly independent he never gave any indication that he might not be around tomorrow.”

“Up to his last day he displayed that strength of character, courage and unrelenting spirit”, Cde. Seeraj said, adding that Cde. Navin “might be small in frame, but he is a giant for the lives that he touched.”

No space could be large enough to fully document the heartfelt tributes that went out to Cde. Navin Chandarpal. And while he is physically absent, his memory will live on in the name of the People’s Progressive Party.
This was moreso evident by the chants heard throughout last evening as the crowd erupted in applause every time the call was sounded: “Long Live Cde. Navin!”

(By Derwayne Wills)

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