WHILE we are not strangers to death, it always surprises us and leaves us bereft of explanation why a person at his prime must go. However, we understand with compassion that neither death nor grief discriminates, and thus it is with sadness that we bid a colleague goodbye. We, the members of The National Toshaos Council (NTC), extend our most sincere sympathies to the family and relatives of the late Toshao Lester Fleming, of Muritaro Village, Region 10, and member of the NTC executive. He was elected Toshao of Muritaro in April 2009, and was later elected as a member of the NTC on July 28, 2009.
Toshao Lester Wilbur Fleming passed away yesterday following a period of brief illness, at age 45. He left to mourn his wife Leah and four children, Conrad, Ramanov, Cornelli and Chavez.
Toshao Fleming’s passing is a great loss to the NTC at this very important period of our development. It is truly a sad moment for us, as he will not be here to witness the materialisation of our ideas for the betterment of our Amerindian brothers and sisters. His services and ideas for the development of the NTC, his village, and Amerindians in general, will remain with us, as we continue to champion the development of Amerindians.
He served as one of the members of the Multi Stakeholders Steering Committee, participated in workshops on the European Union Forest Law, Enforcement, Governance and Trade (EU-FLEGT), worked with Guyana Forestry Committee on the MRV Road Map, and represented the NTC at many forums.
Toshao Fleming was a vocal person, who possessed true leadership qualities. As a leader, he was able to rise above the narrow confines of his individual concerns to the broader welfare of all humanity. This was manifested in his participation in the recently NTC meeting only two weeks ago. He served his village and people with unwavering determination and commitment. At his passing, we promise that his hard work will not go unnoticed, and we at the NTC, and as Amerindian leaders, will strive to emulate his principles so that we can better the social malaise and the economic plight of our people.
Together with the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, we offer, once again, our sincere regrets and condolences to the family of the deceased during their time of bereavement.
We pray that Mr. Fleming’s soul find its final sanctuary.