Clarence was a true champion in spirit and in mind

Apr 25, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,
I would like to echo the kind sentiments written about a good and valiant brother who died after a period of illness. Brother Clarence Ellis was indeed an indefatigable son of Guyana.
He was an economist by trade but an over-all intellectual. Clarence was a patriot who cared deeply about the well being of Guyana. He concerned himself almost on a daily basis with trying to find solutions to the various intractable problems facing our beloved country.
He argued vehemently for solutions and concluded that the best solution for Guyana’s socio-political situation was a shared governance arrangement. Brother Clarence saw as the fundamental obstacle to progress in Guyana, the racial political problem, that he became convinced must be dealt with if Guyana was to progress. He argued that a shared governance arrangement would provide racial parity in the society. Shared governance as Clarence saw it was not an arrangement that only involved political elites sharing power, Clarence believed more in a social contract arrangement that also broad trade union and other interest groups to the table in active participation in governance.
The fact that a brilliant mind like Bro Clarence had to be exiled from his country is a tragedy in itself. Bro. Clarence was not only an able economist; he was a hard worker who was also passionate about developmental issues especially relating to Guyana. His brother related the story when he would receive brief from his wife for working long hours at the Central Bank, he would reply that he was working for Guyana’s children. As a child of Guyana I thank Brother Clarence for those long hours.
I came to know Clarence immediate upon immigrating to Washington DC. He was a friend of my father. It is usual for Guyanese expatriates especially the professionals in the DC/MD area to meet to discuss various issues concerning Guyana. These meetings were frequent and Bro. Clarence was always present.
What was attractive about Bro. Clarence is that he was not an Ideologue or a Partyite. We all knew that he supported the PNC but his positions would always centre on the merits of the argument.
As such he was ready to criticise the PNC, if need be, as harsh as he did the PPP administration on policy issues. Over the years I’ve come to call Clarence friend and mentor. We would discuss any issue on a wide range of topics, philosophy, economics, finance, accounting etc. At times, he being the experienced elder would counsel me on positions I took. He would call the office to discuss a new development in Guyana or I would call him.
When a couple years ago Dr. Randy Persaud approached me to organise an Inter ethnic dialogue with the aim of bridging the divide in the Diaspora, I immediately reached out to Bro Clarence. If there was anyone with ideas on an approach to ethnic relations, it was Bro Clarence. He was always blossoming with ideas. It is as if I can hear him saying to me, which he said quite often, “Dennis, the problem with ethnic relation in Guyana is the problem of mutual respect. The racial groups in Guyana cannot attain racial parity unless they see each other as equals. Of course Bro Clarence felt there was a hegemonic attitude to governance by the current administration.
It also has to be said that Clarence cared deeply about an African centered approach to the development of African people in Guyana. He argued for maintenance of traditional African values in the advancement of African Guyanese. His main argument as it relates to ethnic relation in Guyana is that African people in Guyana cannot negotiate from a position of cultural deficit.
Bro Clarence was a true champion in spirit and in mind. We owe him a debt of gratitude.
Guyana has lost a true patriot and we in the Diaspora have lost a friend. May the ancestors bless and protect him.
Dennis Wiggins

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Clarence was a true champion in spirit and in mind

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