Winston Murray made the ultimate sacrifice for his country’s democracy

Nov 25, 2010 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Guyana is currently reflecting upon the life of one of Guyana’s bravest sons, Winston Murray. Yet, this is not the time for sorrow, blame, confusion or despair. This is the time for unity, hope, peace, grace and redemption.
Winston Murray made the ultimate sacrifice for his country’s democracy. He gave up a life of comfort in the United States, and returned to Guyana, the land of his birth and made sacrifices so Guyana could be a better place for all races.
Winston Murray made the courageous decision, regardless of personal health issues to try to bring about a second Emancipation and positive change in Guyana. His was a vision of a moral, multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-religious and just Guyana. But, he left before his quest was undertaken.
Over the next few weeks, many will speak of Winston Murray’s character, selflessness, loyalty, commitment and service to the Nation, integrity, honesty and knowledge. We at the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) know him as a friend and colleague. When few had the courage to work with ACDA for the betterment of Guyana, whether by being a Patron of our school or other community activities, Winston Murray unhesitatingly raised his hand without fear.
This is the measure of the person. Thus it was on 30 October, 2010, Winston Murray, Patron of ACDA’s Education Management Committee, was our Keynote Speaker. And I quote from his speech entitled “Securing Guyana’s future Together”:
“I would like to challenge the youth of this country to call for a national youth convention and to put us, politicians, to sit down and listen to their concerns and what their solutions are for dealing with their problems. Too often, we of an older and irrelevant generation want to dictate what we think is good for them, but that age is gone and gone forever”.
Winston Murray’s departure will leave a deep void in Guyana’s politics. He was a quiet political giant. He was the great hope for bridging the racial divide. He was to be the catalyst for change.
At ACDA, Winston Murray spoke about “shared governance” and affirmed ACDA’s unshakeable belief that for Guyana to truly become a prosperous, just, multi-racial society, we must move away from the pernicious Westminster system that racially chooses winners and losers in our country.
Winston Murray was a man with a vision, reason and courage. He recognised in his appeal to our youth that Guyanese of all ages had given up hope and were disillusioned with politics and politicians.
As I listened to Winston’s speech I realised his focus on youth was both actual and figurative and it reminded me of what Edward Kennedy said during the eulogy of his brother Robert F. Kennedy…”that age was not a time of life, but a state of mind, a temper of the will, a quality of imagination, a predominance of courage over timidity.”
Winston’s legacy is easy to define. A person of quiet passions, he served this Nation without pomp, without greed, without vindictiveness, without racial animosity, without malice and with grace and dignity. Guyanese should make Winston’s death as a lifeline to democracy.
As we look at our society today without the prism of race, we can all acknowledge that Guyana is a modern day political, social, cultural and economical tragedy.
Winston Murray was a very close friend of ACDA’s Administrator S. Egerton Cooke, who started ACDA’s formalised education programme several years ago. He and Cooke, both of Leguan, spoke daily on the phone. Indeed, Brother Cooke was a confidant and advisor of Winston Murray. Having been around Brother Cooke for several years now, I still do not have the capacity or words to convey the deep lingering pain Brother Stan is currently feeling and will feel for a long time. Such is his love of and for Winston Murray.
As our hearts at ACDA go out to the wife and family of Winston Murray, we also thank Brother Cooke for allowing us to have Winston Murray as a friend and patron. We at ACDA extend our deepest condolences to both the Family and Brother Stan.
So as we at ACDA bid farewell to this “Warrior of Peace”, we can take refuge in the words of Robert Kennedy when he made this speech to the young people in South Africa in 1966, “Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centres of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”
Farewell Great Warrior of Peace. The Nation has heard your voice and felt your dignity. And will respond to your vision, reason and courage. You will be dearly missed.
Eric Phillips

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