The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is mourning the loss of two septuagenarian stalwarts who passed away over the past few days, after giving decades of yeoman service to the party, the government and indeed the nation of Guyana.

The death of Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, 77, President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, came a few days after the demise of Rev. Dr. Dale Bisnauth, former Minister of Education and Minister of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.
Rev. Bisnauth passed away last Thursday at age 76. Both men died at the Caribbean Heart Institute of the Georgetown Public Hospital and will both be cremated at the Good Hope Crematorium, East Coast Demerara, but on separate days. Wakes were jointly held for the two former government ministers at the Umana Yana on Sunday evening.
Among those joining the bereaved family members of the two former government ministers at the Umana Yana on Sunday were President Donald Ramotar, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee.
Rev. Dr. Dale Bisnauth, who was also Pastor of the Byrnes Memorial Presbyterian Church, Irving Street, Queenstown, is to be cremated today at the Good Hope Crematorium. His body will leave the Merriman Funeral Home, Lime and Bent Streets at 09:00 hrs for the church where he was the pastor, (Byrnes Presbyterian). Viewing and tributes will begin at 09:30 hrs, followed by a Thanksgiving Service for his life, beginning at 10:00 hrs.
Meanwhile, Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud passed way early Sunday morning, following a period of illness. He was admitted to the CHI on Saturday and breathed his last on Sunday, April 7 around 00:30 hrs.

Last Rites and Cremation
Pandit Persaud will be cremated on Thursday at the Good Hope Crematorium.
His body will be removed from the Dharmic Kindra, Prashad Nagar, and taken past the Shri Krishna Mandir, Campbellville, then the Dharmic Rama Krishna Mandir, then past Freedom House to the International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, where there will be tributes, followed by viewing of the body.
Relatives anticipate that there will be a number of pandits in attendance, but the chief celebrant will be Pandit Jagmohan Persaud.
Following the ceremony, the body will be removed to the Good Hope Crematorium for cremation.
The family has advised that a wake will be held at their home at 300 Shantininatan Street, Prashad Nagar at 18:30 hrs each evening until his cremation.
Reepu Daman Persaud who served Guyana’s Parliament for over 40 years, was elected a Member of Parliament under the PPP Government on December 7th 1964, and was later appointed Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs within the PPP/Civic Administration. He was also the PPP’s Chief Whip and one of the party’s longest serving members, having given more than 40 years of selfless service as a member.
Persaud was also appointed Leader of Government Business in the Parliament in 1992-2001. He continued to serve under President Samuel Hinds and President Janet Jagan and was appointed Vice-President in 1997. He acted on several occasions as Prime Minister of Guyana and on two occasions as President of Guyana.  Under Bharrat Jagdeo’s presidency, he held the post of Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and introduced several pieces of legislation in the National Assembly, including the recognition of the Rice Board. He was the main speaker at the end of several budget debates in Parliament.
Pandit Persaud, who lived a full and exemplary life, was a key member of the Patriotic Coalition for Democracy which comprised representatives of Guyana’s opposition parties and which lobbied the international community to give recognition to Guyana’s political plight. Reepu Daman Persaud, a believer in loyalty and principles, stood by Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s side in the fight for justice, progress and democracy in Guyana, and was an integral player in the PPP’s ascension to government in 1992.
Said Dr. Vindhya Persaud: “My dad continued to make his contribution, to the time of his death, as an Advisor to the President and worked in that capacity at the Office of the President.” Former President  Bharrat Jagdeo has publicly acknowledged his contributions and continues to value his services to the country and the government.
Meanwhile, in religious life Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud made an indelible mark on the lives of Hindus in Guyana. He formed the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha on January 8, 1974, and remained at the helm, giving support and stewardship to the Hindu community for 33 years until the time of his death.
His sorrowing daughter, Dr. Persaud also recalled that even after taking ill, he continued in active service to the Mandir, his interest never waning. “He was active at the Mandir every Sunday, and to the time of his death, there was nothing he missed,” she said, trying to muster up strength from that thought.
Several accolades/insignias have been bestowed on Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, a distinguished and iconic son of the soil for his dedicated services within both the religious and political arenas in Guyana.
Among the awards conferred on him were:
*  Order of Roraima (OR) – Guyana’s second highest national award, for long and outstanding service as a Parliamentarian and for involvement in the struggle for free and fair elections and restoration of democracy in Guyana, 1996.

* Global Convention of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO) in recognition of political leadership, New York, USA, 1989.

* Service Award – Outstanding Contribution to the rice industry in Guyana, Guyana’s Rice Producers’ Association 50th Anniversary celebrations, 1996.

* Gyaan Bhaki Satsang Inc. – for invaluable contributions towards the defence and uplifting of Hindu Dharmic – New York, USA, 1990.

* In honour of 30 years as Pandit at Rama Krishna Mandir Dharmic Sabha Mandir – Guyana, 1995. (He continued to serve there and has done so for over 40 years.)

* Dharmic Bhusan, Vishnu Mandir – in recognition of sterling contribution to Hinduism, Canada, 1997.

* 5th World Hindu Conference – Award and Commendation Certificate for Dedicated and invaluable contribution to the field of culture and the promotion of Hinduism in Guyana, the Caribbean and North America – Trinidad and Tobago, 1996.

* In honour of Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud for dedicated and selfless service to Sanran Vedic Dharma and the entire Guyanese Society – Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, 2004.
Pandit Persaud continued to live in Guyana, his beloved country, and he always said he’d never leave, and will continue to serve until his last breath, and that he did with pride and dignity.
A true patriot and an illustrious son of Guyana, he was a man who believed that people should rise above cheap opportunistic manoeuvres to gain prominence. Even though he rose to great heights in the fields of religion and politics, he never forgot his humble beginnings.
He was indeed a source of inspiration for Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora. He was a man of high ideals, unwavering in his quest for improving the welfare of the Guyanese people and for a peaceful and harmonious society, his family members attested.
Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud is survived by his wife, Mrs. Indranie Persaud, six children, Yogmatie, Vindhya, Trishala, Aruna, Vishok and  Lokesh, and two grandchildren, Avasa and Kayla.