Finance Minister relives the pain of losing a friend –a man he held in high esteem for his ‘inimitable qualities’

MINISTER of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh has described the late Ronald Webster, former Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, as a patriot and a most able and devoted servant of the land of his birth. 

Dr. Singh, in a tribute in honour of Webster at a Thanksgiving Service at Bethel Gospel Hall last Saturday, declared: “He displayed the finest qualities of what we need most as a nation in Guyanese citizenship: The willingness to work hard; the ability to be innovate; the appreciation that little is achieved without effort expended; the willingness to accept and discharge responsibility; the sophistry to communicate effectively with all and sundry irrespective of rank and status.”

‘He displayed the finest qualities of what we need most as a nation in Guyanese citizenship: The willingness to work hard; the ability to be innovate; the appreciation that little is achieved without effort expended; the willingness to accept and discharge responsibility; the sophistry to communicate effectively with all and sundry, irrespective of rank and status’

These were among the inimitable qualities possessed by Mr. Ronald Webster, “a man who demonstrated boldness to take a position and defend it, even in the face of criticism and opposition; the strength to continue smiling; who stayed cheerful and remained optimistic, both in demeanour and in conviction, even when the circumstances appeared most unhelpful … Always a man of conviction, never a man to shy away from awkward situations, or to fail to speak his mind, but equally, never a man to offend or display animosity towards even his most virulent of opponents.”

“Ron Webster had all these qualities and more. Small wonder, then, that he accomplished as much as he did in the years that he spent on this earthly abode,” the Finance Minister declared.

Mr. Ronald Daniel Webster died on April 27, 2014, having lost the battle to cancer. He was 72.

The Finance Minister, at the Thanksgiving Service, had the tri-fold task of offering tributes on his own behalf and on behalf of President Donald Ramotar and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, who were both unable to attend. Mr. Hinds, as the service proceeded, was en route to Jamaica to attend the funeral of the late Caribbean academician, Professor Norman Girvan.

In his opening remarks, Dr. Singh said, “Permit me, first of all to begin by discharging the important responsibility of reading the following words on behalf of the Honourable Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds in his capacity as a longstanding friend and colleague of the late Ronald Daniel Webster:

“It is with a sense of great sadness and loss that my wife and I extend sincerest condolences to the wife and children and other relatives of Ron Webster, and to his workmates of the Caribbean Containers Inc. (CCI) family.

“Ron and I got to know each other from about 1955, during our high school days at Queen’s College, where he was a year or two ahead of me. He first worked at the then ALCAN-owned bauxite operations, DEMBA, at Mackenzie (now Linden), but by the time that I began working there, he had already moved on to Bookers.

“We worked closely with each other after I came into Government office. Ron, with his early background in bauxite and subsequent experience at Bookers and the private sector, was recognized to be an asset on the Boards of the bauxite companies. He was easy to work with, always seeking to keep things moving while avoiding any antagonisms, important qualities as we sought to refashion our extremely sensitive bauxite operations in order to end losses and to re-privatize them. Ron, at his death, was Chairman of the Kwakwani Utilities Inc.

“Ron had also been Chairman of the Board of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), from about 2004 to 2010, a period of steady growth of our small and medium scale Guyanese miners.

“When Ron told me of his health problems, it was in a matter-of-fact manner, rather stoic, bravely facing up to what he was to meet. I think of the line, ‘Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for you and me.’

“Farewell, my friend! Too soon, too soon, our generation is falling away!”

Having delivered the condolences of the Hon. Prime Minister, Dr. Singh proceeded to extend condolences on his own behalf, and on behalf of President Donald Ramotar and the entire Government of Guyana, to the immediate family of the deceased Ronald Daniel Webster, Mrs. Webster, to his children and grandchildren. Also included were Mr. Webster’s vast sphere of friends, professional colleagues, and associates, all of whom were plunged into deep sorrow at the passing of this faithful and fervent son of Guyana, Dr. Singh said.

He then went on to say that while much is known and has been said about Webster’s accomplishments and service in the private sector, it is perhaps less known that Ron also served in many public sector capacities.

Highlighting some of these positions held by Webster, Dr Singh said:
* He was Chief Executive Officer of the Seals and Packaging Industries Limited when that company was still in the public sector;
* He worked with Government in salvaging the company’s operations – Seals and Packaging Industries Ltd (SAPIL) and eventually privatized it. That company was subsequently renamed Caribbean Containers Inc. He said Webster was again to play an influential role in restructuring it to return its finances to viability and sustainability, and secure what can safely be described as one of Guyana’s privatization successes.
* For a number of years he served as Chairman of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and expended considerable effort on the matters of the day faced by the GGMC, especially in light of the growing role and importance of the mining sector in our country.
* Webster was also Chairman of Kwakwani Utilities Incorporated (KUI), the provider of electricity to the towns of Kwakwani and neighbouring areas, a position he held up to the time of his passing.
* He served as Chairman of the Bauxite Industry Development Company Limited, the national holding company for bauxite investments, for a number of years until its winding up about a decade ago.

In this latter capacity, Dr. Singh stressed: “Ron Webster was a key participant in the restructuring and privatization of that company’s subsidiaries, the Linden and Berbice Mining Enterprises Limited and the Aroaima Mining Company.”
He also spoke of Webster’s fearlessness in taking a position and expressing a view he believed was matched by his incomparable circumspection.
“Indeed, over and beyond being a chemical engineer by training, and a manager and an entrepreneur, I believe that Ron Webster was a consummate diplomat and sophisticated advocate, displaying an uncanny ability to represent his interests oftentimes without even appearing to be doing so.”

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE
More recently, he said, Webster was elected to the Chairmanship of the Private Sector Commission, the pinnacle of private sector representation and advocacy. Said Dr. Singh: “His role as head of the umbrella group for the private sector was at no time without challenge, especially given the importance of the private sector in Guyana’s economy today and indeed the political complexities that obtain in today’s Guyana.”
Dr. Singh noted that even in accepting the nomination to this position, Webster knew the magnitude of the task before him, and displayed that “distinguishing disposition of his” – the willingness to take on the greatest of challenges with sharp focus and genuine sincerity of purpose.

UNDAUNTED
He noted further that Ron Webster was not, at any time, to be confounded by the subtleties and nuances involved in representing his constituency’s interests in these complex times. Neither was he to be daunted by the incivility and brutishness that appear to be borne down these days on those who dare to venture within the territory of public service and public life.

Dr. Singh recalled that Webster navigated the heady waters of civil society representation and advocacy with formidable skill and dignified aplomb.

“I had the distinct privilege, “ he said, “of witnessing first-hand, and at close range, his forthright expression of strong private sector positions on such issues of national importance as the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project and the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, cuts to the national budget and the construction of the new Marriott Hotel.
“At a time when, and in situations where, expressing a view that sounds anything less than hostile to, worse yet even remotely close to being aligned with, Government is anathema to some and can invite caustic criticism, Ron Webster guarded his objectivity fiercely, built strong consensus in the private sector, and spoke boldly and fearlessly in the cause of the national interest and that of his constituency on all of these issues.”

In concluding, the Finance Minister said: “On behalf of His Excellency, President Donald Ramotar, the Cabinet, and the entire Government of Guyana, indeed on behalf of all of the people of Guyana, I salute the life and service of Ronald Daniel Webster; I say farewell to this exemplary Guyanese citizen who I had the immeasurable privilege of knowing and calling a friend. I join you all in mourning his passing and I extend once again deepest condolences to those closest to him.
May his soul rest in peace and rise in eternal glory.

(By Shirley Thomas)