Tributes continued to flow yesterday for former PNCR-1G MP Winston Murray as the National Assembly unanimously passed a motion to put on record its sympathy on the death of the former Deputy Prime Minister.
The motion was in the name of Opposition Leader Robert Corbin but was piloted in the House by PNCR-1G MP Clarissa Riehl. Corbin is currently overseas on official business.
The intent of the motion was to have members of the National Assembly “place on record our shock and profound grief at the great loss to the Parliament and people of Guyana by the tragic death of Mr. Winston Shripal Murray, C.C.H, MP on Monday, 22nd November, 2010. In addition, the motion resolved to have the House pay tribute to the committed and distinguished service which he rendered to Guyana and to its Parliament. It further resolved that the National Assembly directs an expression of the MP’s heartfelt sympathy be conveyed to his sorrowing widow, children and relatives.
In the presence of some of Murray’s relatives and supporters, Riehl said it was necessary to record for posterity what “a fine member of the human race” Murray was. “Until his demise, we did not recognize all that he was to us and the country,” she said. She said while he did not have any formal high school education, he studied on his own and excelled.
The PNCR-1G, she said, will miss Murray especially for his presentations in response to the government’s budget and the guidance he gave to party members. She said too that Murray’s skill as a debater was unquestionable.
Riehl said that Murray was particularly concerned about proper accountability regarding taxpayers’ money especially issues such as the failure of the government to pay the money from the Lottery Commission into the Consolidated Fund. She said that Murray had at one point stated his intention to challenge the government in the courts on this particular matter.
Speaking on behalf of the government, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee said that Murray “conducted himself with a high degree of aplomb and statesmanship within the rules of the National Assembly.”
The minister said the government would pay careful attention to Murray and took on board his repeated call for project profiles for initiatives being undertaken by the government.
He said that there has been an improvement in this sort of information being provided in the budget.
AFC Leader Raphael Trotman supported the motion and suggested that a lecture series and a School Debating Competition be held in Murray’s memory. Nevertheless, Trotman opined that the motion may have come a bit too soon to the National Assembly and stated that such motions should come after time has settled and things put into perspective. The motion, he said, “will put to rest, perhaps too quickly, the memory of Winston Murray”.
“We in this House got the best of Winston Murray. We got the best of him…he was erudite and fair,” he said. He said too that Murray’s decision to pursue a legal career inspite of him being a popular politician is evidence that Murray did not see politics as something that should be exploited for personal gain.
PNCR-1G MP Aubrey Norton thanked the President and government for agreeing to expend taxpayers’ money to give Murray a chance at survival, despite how slim it was.
“It was clearly a time when we from the two sides of this House cooperated to promote a common good. I wish to posit, that it would be to Winston Murray’s joy to see that cooperation and consensus approach take on new meaning and be manifest in our every-day politics,” Norton said.
This, he said, would involve every-day politics based on principles of “respect for each other, fairness and transparency in our approach to governance, responsiveness to the views and interests of all and to develop a Guyana that is based on the principle of inter ethnic equity”.
Norton had been supporting Murray in his bid to become the presidential candidate for the PNCR.
Labour Minister Manzoor Nadir, who was speaking on behalf of The United Force (TUF), said that Murray was known for his “depth of research and thoroughness of his analysis”. He said that the true strength of Murray’s abilities and capabilities were seen in the work he put in while being a member of Special Select Committees.
Murray would “feature prominently in a government of national unity”, was how GAP/ROAR MP Everall Franklin remembered Murray. He said Murray was a decent human being of gigantic proportions.
PNCR-1G MP Volda Lawrence remembered the late shadow Finance Minister as someone with a special passion.
According to her Murray had a particular passion to see the reduction of the “flesh-eating and gruesome 16 percent Value Added Tax (VAT)”. She also emphasized that Murray was very much committed to his party.
Murray’s wife Marva received a copy of the Resolution passed by the House from Speaker of the National Assembly Ralph Ramkarran.
