WPA mourns passing of Rupert Roopnaraine
The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) is mourning the passing of one of its Co-Leaders Dr Rupert Roopnaraine who died today.
A statement from the WPA follows:
WPA joins the rest of Guyana, the Caribbean, and progressives of the wider world in mourning the loss of Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, who passed away earlier today. A towering figure in Guyana’s post-colonial struggle for bread, justice, and freedom, Dr. Roopnarine has carved out a special place in our country’s politics.
WPA remembers Bro Rupert as a revolutionary, an educator, and an artist who brought together the different strands of his work in a life of struggle for the betterment of his country, society, and region. He was unflinching in his belief that a better world is always possible. Blending Marxist thought with a Caribbean outlook, his was a passionate voice of resistance, commitment, and reason at a time of disquiet and discord.
Dr. Roopnaraine embodied the principle of multiracialism in a Guyana that has been haunted by racial division. He transcended race. He was as comfortable among African Guyanese as he was among African and Amerindian Guyanese. For him, Guyana is at its best when all its ethnic groups work, struggle, and triumph together.
We also remember Bro Rupert as the ultimate peacemaker. He always sought to reach across the partisan divide—always guided by the interest of the collective people and the country at large. In this regard, he worked tirelessly for a united front with the PPP during the 1970s and 1980s. He was instrumental in the formation of the multi-party Patriotic Coalition for Democracy, which was instrumental in heralding the return to electoral normalcy in 1992.
Significantly, Bro Rupert dedicated much energy to the improvement of relations between the PNC and WPA that came in the form of the APNU. He felt strongly about the necessity and utility of that coalition. Along with Dr. Clive Thomas and Mr. Robert Corbin, he invested in that organization as a down payment on a national solution. He was the quintessential crusader for shared governance, power sharing, and a national government.
Bro Rubert loved the WPA. He quit his job at the University of Guyana to become a full-time party activist. He was central to the building of the party in the early years. He was an able organizer. He would later represent the party in parliament and in the cabinet with the same conviction.
WPA expresses condolences to his family and thanks them for making him available to the party and the country. We pledge to continue his work to better the condition of the people, the country, and the wider humanity.
