Passing of Cyril Belgrave

Oct 17, 2019 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,

I was saddened to learn of the passing of Cyril Belgrave last week. He was a true friend, erstwhile comrade, a tireless and militant political activist of the PPP. He joined the political struggle in the fifties, inspired by Dr. Cheddi Jagan when he took his political activism to the waterfront workers. Cde Belgrave was inspired by Dr. Jagan’s passion and unwavering commitment to the ordinary workers.
Cde Belgrave served the PPP as a Georgetown city councillor along with the late Narbada Persaud in the early seventies. He later became a Member of Parliament in 1975. However, his main attributes is how easily he could have grounded with the ordinary masses. He was also a trade union activist in the Guyana Labour Union. In the late 70’s, he defeated Eugene Fowler a PNC parliamentarian for the Chairmanship of the Waterfront branch of the Guyana Labour Union despite the fact that then Prime Minister LFS Burnham who himself was President of the GLU campaign for his fellow MP Fowler. Cde Belgrave later contested the vice president of the GLU, it took a great deal of manipulation to prevent him from rising to the leadership of the union. Waterfront and City Council worker were the two militant branches of the GLU and Cde Belgrave was popular in both group. He worked as a stevedore most of his life.
Cde Belgrave was a real grassroots political activist. In July 1978, during the Famous Referendum Cde Belgrave was beaten by thugs and had his camera destroyed while taking pictures of empty polling stations and recycling of voters. The visible ninety percent boycott of the Referendum that turned into a miracle eighty percent turnout and the new constitution are now history. I then realised that the camera never lie and a good photograph could tell a million words. A year later, Mirror photographer Vernon Fung groundbreaking picture on Father Drake’s murder by House of Israel activist created headlines in the world media. During election campaign, Cde Belgrave was never scared to take his political message to communities that was most hostile. He was also a good public speaker with a good sense of humour.
Cde Belgrave was not a person of letters but his rational thinking and ability to comprehend issues would put many intellectual to shame. In parliament, he was very practical and to the point. I remembered during the debate on the first budget of the new PPP government in 1993, then opposition leader Mr. Huge Desmond Hoyte tried to heckle Cde Belgrave during his presentation. A very witty Belgrave countered, “you wrong Desi, you wrong” a verse from the winning calypso that year by the Mighty Rebel that brought much amusement on both sides of the House including Mr. Hoyte himself. In Parliament, he was a calculated heckler and he insisted no one should heckle an MP when they are making their madden speech.
The PPP was able to remain a formidable force because it was endowed with persons in the calibre of Cyril Belgrave that made the organisation rich with activist of such good quality. In Guyana, where politics is seen through the prism of race it took strong conviction and commitment by someone like Cyril Belgrave to be an activist of the PPP especially in the days as an opposition. His passing has left a void in politics and will be sadly missed by all those who knew his honesty and simple human qualities. He has made a good contribution to his country, party and workers.
I express my deepest condolence to his family. May his soul rest in peace

Yours truly,
Rajendra Rampersaud

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