THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) wishes to express its condolences at the passing of two stalwarts Reverend Dale Arlington Bisnauth and Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud. Both men were part of the team selected by Dr. Cheddi Jagan in 1992 and went on to play crucial roles in rebuilding our nation.

Reverend Dale Bisnauth served as Education Minister from 1992 to 2001 and then as Minister of Human Services, Social Security and Labour. He was also Chairman of the Board of Industrial Training at the time of his passing.
Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, who was visited by our General Secretary, President Donald Ramotar, in his final moments was the longest serving member in the leadership of the PPP, having served in the Central Committee since 1958 up until the time of this passing.
He served as Minister of Agriculture from 1992 and then later as Minister of Parliamentary Affairs. He also served as Chief Whip, Deputy Speaker, Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Chairman of the Constitutional Reform Select Committee and Leader of the House and Vice- President of the Republic of Guyana.
The cultural and religious background and contribution to society of these two stalwarts also reflected the diversity within the PPP and successive PPP/C Governments, with Reverend Dale Bisnauth being a long serving pastor at the Burns Memorial Presbyterian Church and Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud being the founder of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, an organisation which has represented and promoted the Hindu religion and culture for many decades in Guyana.
Their passing is a significant loss to the party and the PPP/C Government, as up to the time of their deaths, both men continued to serve their country and people in various capacities.
Their contribution, guidance and dedication to the task of working towards providing a better future for our people will forever be remembered.
“We wish to express our sympathies to the relatives, friends and followers of these two leaders and urge all to be inspired by their work and contributions,” the PPP said in a statement yesterday.