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Winston Murray transcended parochial party politics

Nov 24, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor:
I write with deepest sympathies to the family and close friends of People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) Executive Member and Member of Parliament Mr. Winston Murray who died on Monday, November 22, 2010.
It is indeed a great tragedy that a man of his caliber and integrity is no more. Winston Murray is indeed a man of distinction, as he is without doubt, one of the most honorable members of the PNCR.
On Thursday, January 15, 2009, Winston Murray resigned as Chairman of the PNCR, following closely on the heels of his public support of the Government of Guyana’s line against the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) at a National Consultation in 2008, where the government sought more time for the final signatories’ agreement.
Clearly, Murray’s public support for the government’s call for extra time before the CARIFORUM’s EPA reached legal consummation, was inconsistent with the PNCR’s position on the matter.
I want to revisit a piece I wrote some time ago… “Subsequently, several PNCR personnel implicitly rebuffed Murray for siding with the government, to the point where Murray believes that the PNCR has now abandoned his position on the EPA. Murray felt at the time of the National Consultation that his position was the PNCR position, as he was representing the Leader of the PNCR, Mr. Robert Corbin.
“At the EPA National Consultation in Guyana, then Chairman of the PNCR, Mr. Murray, noted: “…It is our respectful view that time should be allowed because, since the initialing of this Agreement through the work of NGOs and researchers in the region, interesting people like Dr. Clive Thomas, a lot has come to light which suggests that all that glitters may not be gold in the content of this Agreement; and our support will be for time to be permitted, with the consent of the European Union, for there to be widespread consultations that lead to some consensus within the region as to where we go from here…
“We would be supportive, sir, if we have to move forward in the presence of…a ‘goods-only’ arrangement which will satisfy, which will make for compatibility with the WTO requirements…as I understand it, other countries, although many of their Leaders and Cabinets don’t fully appreciate the full impact of what is contained in the Agreement, they are ready to sign.
“And, sir, I hope when you meet with them shortly hereafter that you will be able to convince them to wait a little…”
“Anyone would think, after reading Chairman Murray’s statement, that this was the PNCR line on the EPA. But this was not to be. After a long sojourn, the PNCR seems to be experiencing some kind of reawakening and catharsis; and had used its press statement to vent opposition to the Government of Guyana’s line on the initialed EPA.
“This PNCR statement totally refuted Chairman Murray’s views expressed at the EPA Consultation, unabashedly assaulting his integrity.
“Murray’s position on the EPA is more in sync with appropriate protocols, political maturity, and political professionalism within the context of protecting general national interests, and more specifically, national sovereignty.
“There are politicians who ‘live for politics,’ and there are politicians who ‘live off politics’. You make your own judgment. Then consider Murray’s position in the context of Girvan’s statement on sovereignty.
“Chairman Murray may have displayed three preeminent qualities critical for a politician and for sustaining his country’s interests: passion, feeling of responsibility, and a sense of proportion at a decisive time. The PNCR statement, by disavowing Chairman Murray’s views, bared itself to indifference, unreliability, and no sense of national bonding.”
Unmistakably, Murray’s position on the EPA demonstrates his statesmanship in transcending parochial party politics in the interests of national development.
As Guyana mourns the loss of a ‘noblesse’ among Guyana’s politicians, undoubtedly, his passing would create a disequilibrium in the annals of healthy and decent political behavior in this country.
Prem Misir

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