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Farewell to the late Deputy Auditor General, Mr. Eric Butler
DEAR EDITOR,
In his unforgettable masterpiece, “The Rubaiyat” the illustrious Persian poet, astronomer and mathematician, Omar Khayyam who lived in the twelfth century wrote the following luminous lines:-
“The Moving Finger writes and having writ,
Moves on;
Nor all your piety nor wit shall lure it back
To cancel half a line,
Nor all your Tears wash out a Word of it.”
As I reflect on this philosophical thought, it sparkles like a precious diamond in my mind for it was only a few days ago that I was informed of the sudden demise of Mr. Eric Butler, former Deputy Auditor General of the Republic of Guyana who passed away recently in New York, USA.
My heart is deeply saddened at such a tragic loss.
In that regard, I would like to extend our condolences on behalf of my family and self and all the Officers of the Office of the Auditor General who served with and under Mr. Butler’s watch ,and their families, to his bereaved family, siblings, relatives and friends,
Moreover, as I muse on Khayyam’s quatrain, I am reminded of the stark fact that our destiny has already been written by the Creator and notwithstanding the depths of our piety nor level of intelligence it cannot be erased as it is irrevocable for we are all destined to depart from this transient world sooner or later.
Our stars crossed in April 1976 when I first met Mr. Butler at the Office of the Auditor General in Parade Street, Georgetown, Guyana, as a new staff member. I was fascinated by his pleasant deportment, humility and amazing charisma. During my several years of service under his administration, prior to my tours of duty overseas in Guyana’s Diplomatic Service, I was elected Secretary of the Audit Staff Association, Branch Secretary of the Guyana Public Service Union and was designated as the official Master of Ceremonies of the Office of the Auditor General.
I recall several interactions with him when I performed those duties and he was a tower of support in all my activities. He was gifted with a sound rectitude, fond of literary works, enjoyed great speeches, good music and appreciated the strategic role played by the Union in advancing and defending its members’ interests.
He loved intellectual discussions and was a fantastic listener. Eric had an infectious sense of humour. I remember on one occasion as I was executing my function as Master Of Ceremonies, I quoted from Shakespeare and was greeted by a lone heckler. Instantaneously, his comment (the heckler) drew a swift riposte from me when I told him that the works of Shakespeare were intended only for those persons who had an appreciation for literature and philosophy.
At that moment, the floor erupted into a resounding applause led by Mr. Butler and the heckler was silenced.
Furthermore, Eric, other colleagues and I had many social encounters at various rendezvous including the PSU Sports Complex in Thomas lands where we had several brainstorming discussions on theology, politics, literature and philosophy, love and marriage and other interesting topics over refreshments. He was highly respected and loved by all of us and his views on such matters were stellar and seminal.
Perhaps, it is opportune for me to state that someone once declared that, “When a giant tree falls, the forest trembles.” In the fragrant evergreen forest of humanity, a giant tree has fallen. We are trembling and will certainly miss him dearly.
However, we can take comfort in the fact that those whom we have loved and lost shall forever be immortalized in the velvet recesses of our hearts for in the timeless words of the poet laureate of Lebanon, Khalil Gibran, “Life and death are one even as the river and the sea are one.”
And now the time has come for us to bid you farewell our Dear Brother.
Goodbye, our Gracious Friend.
Adieu our Valiant Hero.
We shall all miss you dearly.
May the Angels in Heaven watch over and serenade your Sweet Soul as you sleep in the Bosom of Our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, until we meet again at His feet on that Glorious Morning of the Resurrection when the trials and tribulations of this temporal world will be vanquished forever.
Andrew Zamal
Canada
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