Though heartbroken, Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Vindhya Persaud has mustered up courage to reflect on the life of her late father, Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud, a stalwart of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), who passed away at age 77 , early Sunday morning.
Sitting in the presence of her sister Trishala Persaud and uncle Lokesh Singh at their Campbellville residence, Dr Persaud said her dad’s death took the family by surprise.
Reflecting on his last days, Dr Persaud said for many years, her father had suffered from Parkinson’s disease, but this mobility illness became complicated approximately one week ago, when he developed a respiratory tract infection.
Pandit Persaud was reportedly treated at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital and sent home, where he also received treatment.
“He was doing a lot better; in fact, he was up and about because he was someone who was a fighter, who was resilient…,” she noted. However, the situation went downhill when Pandit Persaud experienced another attack. He was rushed to the St Joseph Mercy Hospital and subsequently to the Caribbean Heart Institute (CHI), at the Georgetown Public Hospital, where several doctors, including his daughter, resuscitated him, but he subsequently deteriorated. He was placed on the life support machine before he drew his last breath.
“It took us by surprise, we never expected this and I don’t know; it’s going to be very difficult, there is no one like him, he has been our world, our life, he has crafted a life for us,” she posited.
According to the PPP/C parliamentarian, her father not only laid a foundation for his family, but the rest of Guyana, which he served with much pride and dignity.
“My father meant many things to many people, he touched many lives… He was a person who didn’t limit his activity to one as he travelled the length and the breadth of the country and he worked with people of every class, every background and they weren’t only Hindus, they weren’t only Indo-Guyanese, they were people who he knew and who saw him as a humble person and a man for all the people.”
Boasting of the legacy created by her father, Dr Persaud said in her book, he was the only person who reached beyond the confines of the PPP/C and earned respect from the opposition benches, mainly because he was a man of integrity who strived to accomplish peace and worked earnestly in the best interest of the people. The legacy he has left gives them (family, friends and supporters) the fortitude to emulate his lifestyle.
Life of Pandit Persaud
Pandit Persaud was born on January 16 at Plantation Diamond, East Bank Demerara. It was on December 7, 1964, that Persaud was given the golden opportunity to be a voice of the nation, when he was elected as a Member of Parliament. With pride and dignity, he served the National Assembly for more than 40 years. This portfolio was the stepping stone to his series of great accomplishments.
“Blessed with an eloquent, articulate manner of speech, Reepu Daman has utilised this gift as a pandit, politician, minister, and president of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha to share his vision and perspectives in and beyond the shores of Guyana,” his family said in a statement.
In January 1974, he formed the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha with the aim of boosting the Hindu society, and today, his work has not gone in vain, with the organisation being a vibrant organ in the society.
A supporter of Dr Cheddi Jagan, Pandit Persaud struggled alongside the former president for many years for free and fair elections.
“Dr Jagan until his death, had a close bond with Reepu and trusted him implicitly with the handling of sensitive and delicate matters.”
While in the opposition, he worked as the shadow minister for agriculture, trade and legal affairs.
“He was a main opposition spokesman for four years when the Speaker, Sase Narine banned Dr Jagan, leader of the opposition from speaking,” Persaud’s family noted, as they reflected on his political life.
Additionally, he served as the chief whip from 1976-1985, deputy speaker of the National Assembly from 1986-1992, chairman of the Public Accounts Committee from 1986-1992 and many parliamentary committees, in addition to chairman of the Select Committee for Constitutional Reform.
“Mr Persaud was a key member of the Patriotic Committee for Democracy, which comprised of representative of Guyana’s opposition parties and which lobbied the international community to give recognition to Guyana’s political plight.”
Additionally, it was pointed out that the loyalist to the PPP party stood by Dr Jagan during the fight for independence and democracy in Guyana. With the PPP winning the general and regional elections in 1992, Persaud was appointed as the agriculture minister and leader of government business in Parliament up until 2001.
“As minister of agriculture, Persaud instituted an ‘open door’ policy to all farmers. He released thousands of acres of land to small farmers. The agriculture sector is the largest contribution to Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product, over 30 per cent, and under his leadership, he assisted in no small measure in the remarkable turnaround of the sector,” his family said.
In recognition of a job well done, Pandit Persaud received Guyana’s second highest award, the Order of Roraima in 1996, for his long and outstanding service as a parliamentarian, and the Service Award in 1996 for his contribution to Guyana’s Rice Industry among others.
