Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine passes on

Feb 24, 2026 News

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…hailed as scholar who dared to stand upright

(Kaieteur News) – Former Education Minister and Co-Leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine passed away early Monday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital. He was 83.

Roopnaraine was born in 1943 in Kitty, Georgetown, Guyana.  He was a former minister of education in the David Granger APNU+AFC government. Roopnaraine won a scholarship to Queen’s College in 1954 where he excelled in cricket, captaining the team and represented Demerara in the Inter-county Cricket Finals. In 1962 he was awarded a Guyana scholarship to attend the University of Cambridge where he studied Modern Languages and was awarded a Cambridge ‘Blue’ for representing the University in English county cricket. In 1970 he was awarded a scholarship to Cornell University, New York, where he obtained an MA and PhD in Comparative Literature. From 1966-1996, he has worked as a university lecturer in the UK, Canada, the USA and at the University of Guyana.

He joined the WPA in 1977 and quickly became one of the leaders of the party along with Walter Rodney, Clive Thomas and Eusi Kwayana. He was an activist politician and at the height of the years of PNC repression was arrested on charges of burning down the PNC headquarters, according to a Peepal Tree Press article. He also narrowly escaped death when he was attacked by PNC party thugs, only reaching safety with the help of sugarcane workers who led him through the cane fields to escape. According to Peepal Tree Press, after the assassination of Walter Rodney, Roopnaraine became leader of the WPA. Roopnaraine was described as unquestionably one of the leading Caribbean intellectuals of his generation, though political activism had restricted his output. “Nevertheless, he is an outstanding art critic (champion of the work of Stanley Greaves), literary critic (author of a pioneering essay on Martin Carter), film-maker (The Terror and the Time) and poet. He is the author of The Web of October: Rereading Martin Carter (1986) and a suite of love poems, Suite for Supriya (1993), and The Primacy of the Eye: The Art of Stanley Greaves,” the article noted.

A revolutionary

In a statement the WPA said it is joining the rest of Guyana, the Caribbean, and progressives of the wider world in mourning the loss of Roopnaraine. Describing him as a towering figure in Guyana’s post-colonial struggle for bread, justice, and freedom, WPA said Dr. Roopnaraine has carved out a special place in our country’s politics. “WPA remembers Bro Rupert as a revolutionary, an educator, and an artist who brought together the different strands of his work in a life of struggle for the betterment of his country, society, and region. He was unflinching in his belief that a better world is always possible. Blending Marxist thought with a Caribbean outlook, his was a passionate voice of resistance, commitment, and reason at a time of disquiet and discord.”

According to the WPA, Dr. Roopnaraine embodied the principle of multiracialism in a Guyana that has been haunted by racial division. “He transcended race. He was as comfortable among African Guyanese as he was among Indian and Amerindian Guyanese. For him, Guyana is at its best when all its ethnic groups work, struggle, and triumph together.”  The party added: “We also remember Bro Rupert as the ultimate peacemaker. He always sought to reach across the partisan divide—always guided by the interest of the collective people and the country at large. In this regard, he worked tirelessly for a united front with the PPP during the 1970s and 1980s. He was instrumental in the formation of the multi-party Patriotic Coalition for Democracy, which was instrumental in heralding the return to electoral normalcy in 1992.”  “Significantly, Bro Rupert dedicated much energy to the improvement of relations between the PNC and WPA that came in the form of the APNE. He felt strongly about the necessity and utility of that coalition. Along with Dr. Clive Thomas and Mr. Robert Corbin, he invested in that organisation as a down payment on a national solution. He was the quintessential crusader for shared governance, power sharing, and a national government.”

“Bro Rubert loved the WPA. He quit his job at the University of Guyana to become a full-time party activist. He was central to the building of the party in the early years. He was an able organiser. He would later represent the party in parliament and in the cabinet with the same conviction. WPA expresses condolences to his family and thanks them for making him available to the party and the country. We pledge to continue his work to better the condition of the people, the country, and the wider humanity,” the WPA statement ended.

Intellectual grace

For his part, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said he joins in bowing his head in respect at the passing of Dr. Roopnaraine and extends heartfelt condolences to his beloved family, his friends, and his comrades in the Working People’s Alliance, which he co-led with uncommon courage and intellectual grace. “Guyana has lost a public figure of conscience. While we sat on different sides of the political aisle, I have always regarded Dr. Roopnaraine as belonging to that rare fellowship of men who wed thought to action and principle to sacrifice, especially during the testing years of the anti-dictatorship struggle. When the air itself seemed heavy with fear, he stood upright. He faced persecution not with bitterness, but with resolve. Alongside his comrade and friend, the late Walter Rodney, he helped to kindle a flame of resistance,” President Ali said.

The Guyanese leader also said of Roopnaraine that he was a man of letters, a scholar whose mind moved with elegance across literature. “As a distinguished lecturer of Comparative Literature, he understood that ideas are among the most powerful instruments of liberation. In Parliament and later as Minister of Education, he carried his quiet scholarship into public service. He believed that education was the architecture of freedom—the patient building of minds capable of thought, dissent, and imagination.” “What set him apart, perhaps most enduringly, was his gentleness of spirit. In a political environment, often scarred by rancour and division, he chose civility. In debate, he was firm yet never cruel; in disagreement, principled yet never dismissive. He treated opponents not as enemies, but as fellow citizens. Across the political divide, he earned respect not by force of rhetoric, but by depth of character. His was a life that proved intellect need not be aloof, that politics need not be venomous, and that conviction need not harden the heart. May he rest in eternal peace.”

Civility and courage

Leader of Forward Guyana Movement, Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton-Desir said that Dr. Roopnaraine belonged to a generation that believed ideas could shape a nation. “He carried his scholarship into politics and brought to public life a rare blend of intellect, civility and courage. In a country often divided, he consistently spoke to the possibility of unity and shared purpose. Today, Guyana pauses to honour a son who gave deeply of himself to its democratic journey. 𝑹𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍, 𝑫𝒓. 𝑹𝒐𝒐𝒑𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆. 𝑮𝒖𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒌𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖,” Walton-Desir said.

Master of English Language

Former WPA member, now Opposition Chief Whip and frontbencher of the We Invest in Nationhood party, Tabitha Sara-Halley said “on this 56th Anniversary of our Republic, our nation mourns the passing of a distinguished son of the soil.” Describing Dr. Roopnaraine as a Master of the English language, an esteemed professor, parliamentarian, and co-founder of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Sarabo-Halley said Dr. Roopnaraine devoted his life to scholarship, public service, and the struggle for justice and democracy in Guyana.

“His legacy and his profound contribution to the building of our Republic in ways too numerous to recount will endure. It lives on in our institutions, in the political consciousness of our people, and in the continued pursuit of a more just, equitable, and inclusive society. May his work continue to inspire us as we strive to build a Republic worthy of his sacrifice and vision.”

Committed servant

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) in extending condolences, said the passing of Roopnaraine marks the loss of a son of the soil, a patriot, intellectual, and committed servant of the people whose contribution to Guyana’s political development and struggle for justice will not be forgotten. “Throughout his life, he stood firmly for principles of fairness, human dignity, and national unity. His voice and vision helped to shape critical moments in our country’s history, and his dedication to the upliftment of all Guyanese earned him respect across political lines.

While we mourn his passing, we also reaffirm that our Coalition remains steadfast in its commitment to confronting injustice and inequality wherever they exist. In honouring his legacy, we pledge to continue the struggle for a just, equitable, and united Guyana, a cause to which he devoted much of his life,” the PNCR said. “To his family, loved ones, and the members of the WPA, we offer our sincere sympathy and solidarity during this time of grief. May you find comfort in the knowledge that his life made a meaningful difference in our nation’s journey.

Guyana has lost a true son of the soil. May his soul rest in eternal peace.” The party statement concluded.

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• Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, passed away, politician, Working Peoples’ Alliance

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