Former Comptroller of the then Customs and Excise Department, Clarence Chue died yesterday at a city hospital where he had been rushed.
His son-in-law and husband of his only daughter Shona confirmed his passing with Stabroek News yesterday.
He was 70 years old and was not ill except for “regular old age complaints”, his son-in law said.
Chue served as head of the Customs and Excise Department for over 10 years before its merger with the Inland Revenue Authority (IRD) to form the now Guyana Revenue Authority. Ironically, the former head of the IRD, Khurshid Sattaur passed away on Tuesday.
Chue’s controversial firing saw him hailed as a “fighter for worker rights” yesterday by veteran trade unionist Lincoln Lewis as he reflected on how the “reserved and quiet” man was ousted from his office back in the late 1990s.
“Clarence was a very cordial and jovial guy. Very reserved. I remember the period when he was kicked off his job because of politics. We interacted very well when the GPSU was part of this issue in and out of court. I remember the day he was returned to work; we marched down the road to take him back to his workplace and they tried to lock him out,” Lewis said.
“The representatives of the union and workers were determined that the order of the court be respected. While the government conceded within a short time they made every effort to make sure that he was without job and his post became redundant as they established the Guyana Revenue Authority. Clarence Chue’s career is a reflectiveness of the vindictiveness of politicians,” he added. The grandfather of four went into private accounting and auditing and worked independently until last year.
