By Navendra Seoraj

KNOWN to the residents of Buxton, East Coast Demerara as the “Fairy Godfather,” Clyde Raymond Roopchand has left his mark as a caregiver in the hearts of many, especially his family members and close counterparts, who bid him a final farewell on Saturday.

The former Chief Planning Officer at the Ministry of Finance, who passed away at the age of 69 on Wednesday, is survived by his wife, Latchmin, and children: Karen, Kevin and Sharon Roopchand.

Joining the family to pay tribute to a “son of the soil,” as he has been labelled by many for many reasons, including his intellectual contributions to Guyana, were President David Granger; Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; former Presidents Donald Ramotar and Dr. Bharat Jagdeo; and many other distinguished past and current officials of Government, the private sector and the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

Turning up in their numbers, persons congregated at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre and the St. Anthony’s Church in Buxton to express their compassion to the family of the late Roopchand, and to reflect on his life as a profound public servant and role model to many.

To the people of his village, he was remembered as a person who always sought to give back to the community in every way possible. Being a teacher in his early days, it was opportune for him to do so by edifying the young ones; and as time went by, it gave rise to his generous side as he embarked on his path to developing the community of Buxton.

In paying tribute to their “Fairy Godfather”, villagers explained that he had worked hard for the betterment of the community, and this, in time, earned him huge respect from everyone, ranging from the youths to the elderly.
His passing deserved recital of the sacred “Buxtonian Anthem,” which was done by the many villagers who were present at the church.

His work and achievements over the years were not respected and recognised only by his fellow Buxtonians, but by the nation as a whole, given that he had been conferred with the distinguished Cacique Crown of Honour in tribute to his hard work and diligence throughout his years of service to Guyana.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge both shared on their moments spent with Roopchand while he served as a hard-working public servant. Minister Greenidge also shared his memories of teaching Roopchand at the University of Guyana and watching him progress to higher ground in a matter of years. Being an Economics student, Roopchand followed through with his passion, and worked hard to gain his position on the State Planning Secretariat and to be the Chief Planning Officer of the Ministry of Finance.

He had worked alongside Presidents Forbes Burnham, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Desmond Hoyte, and continued through to work with one of the recent Presidents, Dr. Jagdeo.
This earned him respect from many within the public service sector, as well as private individuals, who had looked up to him as a teacher and role model.

Dr. Jagdeo remembered Roopchand for his great contribution in the realm of economics and planning. Dr Jagdeo noted: “He was a key figure to policy making throughout the years of his life, therefore he must be remembered as a prominent figure in the economic history books of Guyana.”

Roopchand’s contributions, Dr Jagdeo said, were remarkable and will always be remembered and used as a catalyst for youngsters with their ambitions set on economics and planning.

“It is with deep regret and sadness that I received the news of the passing of Clyde Roopchand. I have known Clyde for a long time, dating back to my early days as an economist in the State Planning Secretariat. He served as Chief Planning Officer of Guyana, and did so with distinction. His commitment to National Development was unquestionable, and his service to our people was selfless and exemplary,” Dr Jagdeo said.

“During the period I served as Minister of Finance and President, he held numerous posts, including Director of the CDB (Caribbean Development Bank), alternate Governor of the CDB, Guyana’s Representative to the Board of Governors’ Meetings of the IDB and IMF, Chairman of the GRA Board, among numerous other regional and international posts.

“His institutional knowledge and immense experience are a great loss to our country. He guided the process of preparing the Capital Budget and Public Sector Investment Programme. His work in following up the implementation of numerous decisions made on Cabinet outreaches and the key role he played in the implementation of various development initiatives in the Regions brought him close to many people who live in those areas.

“Clyde Roopchand’s contributions to Guyana spanned many decades, serving every government and President in our post-Independence history. He was an outstanding public servant,” said Dr. Jagdeo.

Roopchand’s legacy is one which his family ought to be proud of; and one of his daughters made that clear. With tearful eyes, she reminisced on her father as a jovial and jolly man who would spend lots of time with his family, regardless of the amount of work he had to do.

She recalled him as a great teacher to her and her siblings, as well as an amazing husband to her mother. And as such, she said, “His memories will live on in our lives, and we’ll use that to do better and make it through every day as we continue to build on his legacy.”