The death of veteran politician and stalwart of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Mr. Navin Chandarpal would certainly have come as a grievous body blow, not only to his own family, but also to the extended PPP/C family.

Navin, like most political veterans affined to the PPP, along with his wife Indra, stood right alongside Dr. and Mrs. Cheddi Jagan when they were little more than children to face the terror of the times under the colonials and subsequently the dictatorship of the PNC regime in the long, hard, unrelenting struggle to provide this nation with all the freedoms Guyanese enjoy today.
As President Donald Ramotar fittingly said, Navin’s death is a significant blow, not merely to the party, but the entire country that he served with dedication, commitment and distinction as, among others, Agriculture Minister, Member of Parliament and long-serving executive of the ruling PPP, lecturer at Accabre College, and his final years of service as Presidential Advisor on Sustainable Development.

The President noted that Navin showed the fortitude of a true fighter for battling his illness –the dreaded scourge of cancer, to the end, as did Dr. Cheddi Jagan, who rallied at the Walter Reed Memorial hospital long after expectations that he would have succumbed to his heart ailment many days before he actually did, to the amazement and admiration of that US hospital’s staff.

Navin, who served in the seventh and eighth Parliaments for over five years, was never confrontational, was always cordial, always had a smile on his face; and it was impossible for anyone to see him as an enemy.
And his association with GAWU was as close as that of Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s, and his contributions to that union were incalculable. GAWU, in a heartfelt condolence message, noted that “Cde Navin’s association with GAWU can be traced back to the 1980’s when he participated in our educational programme as a lecturer. Between 2010 and 2011, he became the Principal of the GAWU Labour College and played an important role in the promotion of the Union’s educational work.”
The union truly reflected the reality when it acknowledged that Navin’s work had an impact in the bettering of the representation that its members enjoy. “He also made a substantial contribution to the environmental issues which have emerged at top of humanity’s agenda in recent times through his championing of the proper and sustainable use of our natural resources and the protection of our environment many important and noteworthy advances have been made locally and regionally,” GAWU said.
Navin was rightly described as a grass root politician who exuded an anti-imperialist stance, as through the People’s Progressive Party he participated dedicatedly in struggles against imperialism.
Navin’s passing on Tuesday 28 October, 2014 was described by his family as a peaceful one while he was surrounded by family and relatives.
It is no surprise that, up to the time of his death, he was actively serving as Presidential Advisor on Sustainable Development and Science and Technology.
Service beyond the call of duty is a hallmark of Dr. Jagan’s cadre of freedom fighters and nation builders, and one can only imagine, as all PPP veterans meet in Heaven, the changes that they would be advocating beyond their earthly existence.
The Board-of-Directors, Management and staff of GNNL, publishers of the Sunday and Daily Chronicle extend sincere condolences to Navin’s family, Indra and children; and the extended PPP/C family.