If ever there was one who walked among us who truly deserved the title of Caribbean Man, it was Sir Shridath Ramphal.
At the same time, if ever we needed a definition of the term Global Citizen, a look at the resume of Sir Shridath would be all we require.
I can think of no other product of our region whose name was followed by more “letters” from more organisations and countries than Sir Shridath — all well deserved. Today, as we reflect on his passing, I am satisfied that the extent of his service to this region and the world for almost three-quarters of a century has irreversibly stamped his name in annals of Caribbean history.
He was born in Guyana but left a formidable footprint in virtually every nation of this region. He was schooled as a lawyer at Kings College, England and Harvard in the United States, was knighted in in the United Kingdom and conferred with the highest national honours in New Zealand, Australia, India and South African. And he was one of the first persons to be awarded the Order of the Caribbean Community.
Sir Shridath, the longest serving Commonwealth Secretary-General ever, also had the distinction of being Assistant Attorney General of the West Indies Federation and the admiration of late South African freedom fighter and president Nelson Mandela, for waging the fight against Apartheid on the global stage.
As a region, we have produced many outstanding leaders in a multitude of areas — great men and women who made it clear to the world that we would never be defined or confined by our size. But there is a smaller group that stands at the pinnacle of Caribbean greatness, people whose lifetime of labour for the betterment of West Indian people has compelled us to view them, not by the country of their birth, but by their efforts to make us recognise and honour our oneness.
Sir Shridath, that is how we shall remember you.
Indeed, I was most intrigued by the clarity and sharpness of his mind when he participated in the 50th anniversary Conference of CARICOM heads in July last year, as well as in the discussions that led to the Argyle Declaration in St. Vincent and the Grenadines five months later, as we worked towards an understanding between Guyana and Venezuela on the way forward in their border dispute.
On behalf of the Government and people of Barbados, which he chose to call home in the evening of his years, I extend to the family and friends of Sir Shridath, sincere condolence. May his soul rest in peace and rise in glory.
