PNCR Executive Winston Murray died at the Georgetown Public Hospital last night after 11 days in a coma; his passing inflicting a severe blow to his family, the party and the country.
Murray was pronounced dead at 7:20 pm by doctors at the hospital; he is said to have passed away while still on life support.
“We wish to announce the death of a friend, a comrade and a colleague. Winston Murray died at 7:20 this evening [yesterday] and it has been a very grievous loss to us,” party member, Ronald Austin told reporters outside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital.
Murray was the stalwart in the party who was fighting for different causes, Austin said, noting that his death had stricken the party to the extent that it was not in position to offer a substantive statement last night.
Prior to the official announcement which came at around 8:20 pm, Murray’s wife, Marva accompanied by her son, Mark and other relatives were called to the hospital. There was a deafening silence as they exited the ICU one after another; faces grim and within a few minutes it got emotional.
“This has been very hard,” Austin said at the time of the announcement, summing up the visible sentiments of family, party members and friends of Winston Murray. Murray’s son wept openly while his mother, paralyzed with grief offered no comments.
Leader of the opposition and PNCR Leader Robert Corbin referred to Murray’s death as “a sad loss for the party and the country”. He said Murray had given loyal and dedicated service both in and out of government.
Corbin said that the party has been preparing to give Murray his “full honours and due respect” for the contribution he has made over the years. His comment came around 9:50 pm, shortly after he had arrived at the hospital to extend his condolences to Murray’s family and reflect on his life with other party members gathered.
Corbin said too that discussions with government with respect to any plans for Murray would likely take place tomorrow.
President Bharrat Jagdeo, in a statement last night, called Murray a dedicated Guyanese who served the country with distinction and dignity. He said the late parliamentarian was an outstanding citizen and fine human being, “resolute and firm in his convictions.
“Mr Murray’s passing has robbed this country and especially the National Assembly of an articulate and intelligent debater whose presentations in the House were always of an exceptionally high standard.” The President noted that he was pleased to have always enjoyed cordial relations with Murray.
He recalled that Murray was not one to hold grudges or allow differences to be an obstacle towards the cultivation of genuine friendship. “I know how difficult his passing is for his family, and especially how testing has been the period since his hospitalization,” the President added.
Further, the Head-of-State extended his sympathies to Murray’s family, friends, supporters and the party.
Murray, 69, collapsed two Thursdays ago on the East Bank while standing in a line. He was then rushed to the Balwant Singh Hospital and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.
It was later determined that he had suffered severe haemorraghing in the brain and remained unconscious. He was later hooked up to a respirator.
Guyanese neurosurgeon Dr Ivor Crandon was flown in from Jamaica last weekend on a flight chartered by the Guyana Government and he later said that there was no sign of brain activity and surgical intervention was not advisable.
Murray’s family and supporters then continued to mull what should be done and there was some talk of further tests being done.
Decent politician
PNCR member Aubrey Norton called Murray a “great leader” and one of the few decent politicians, noting that it was a contradiction but not “in Murray’s case”. He said he was on top of his game and ready to assume the role of PNCR presidential candidate when he unfortunately fell ill.
He praised the hospital staff, consulting doctors and the administration for “trying everything” for the period he was hospitalized. Norton’s voice cracked briefly, but he composed himself to say, “Guyana has lost, the PNCR has lost… He who is in charge knows best.
“He was going to take Guyana places… He was on the right path and while the vision might have died with him, the ideas live on.”
Close friend, Dr Richard Van West Charles spoke briefly saying the country has lost a man who struggled for good governance and prosperity for the country. “It was a common agenda which we shared,” he stated.
Last Parliamentary presentation
Hours before he collapsed, Murray, then PNCR Shadow Finance Minister, had made an impassioned presentation urging the government to come clean on an Amerindian fund which should have been set up to take in royalties from mining on Amerindian lands.
Murray had accepted PM Sam Hinds’ explanation of the origins of the fund but took him to task for not addressing the central issue of the whereabouts of the money. “Won’t it have been nice to tell us that the fund was created on such and such a day and the fund exists in this bank account under this ministry’s control and that the fund has x million dollars in it?” he queried.
He added that the government should have created the fund in the same good faith it said it was acting as it pursued the other provisions of the Act which was not in force.
“Prime Minister, let us before the end of next week hear the details of the fund; tell us in which account it is, how much money there is and what are the procedures for accessing it and then we will believe you,” Murray declared.
His call seemed to find favour with the Prime Minister who nodded and signalled by gesturing that he would do so.
Resigned as PNCR chairman
On January 17, 2009, Murray announced his resignation as PNCR chairman, saying that the party’s public departure from a position he took on the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) had made it “impossible” to continue to hold the office with credibility.
Murray announced the decision to step down in a statement saying it was the direct result of a “principled objection” to a statement by the party that amounted to the “abandonment” of the position he had publicly represented during consultations hosted by President Bharrat Jagdeo on the proposed EPA between the European Union (EU) and Cariforum.
At the consultations held last September, Murray indicated support for the President’s position on the signing of the EPA, given the burdens that adjustment would place on the country. He said the party did not see the EPA as a fair agreement in reality, saying that it would impact severely on development. The PNCR, however, later sought to “clarify” its position on the EPA, saying that while the EPA was deficient, it possessed many positive aspects, including its potential for aiding Guyana’s trade and development. The party said too that while it saw merit in some of the President’s arguments, it had strong reservations about his timing.
At the time, Murray was performing the functions of leader in the absence of substantive leader Corbin. “I, therefore, represented the PNCR’s position both in that capacity and as the spokesperson on the subject matter, since I am also the shadow Minister for Finance and Economic Development, he explained in the statement. It was my strongly held view, and still is, that, in such a circumstance, it has become impossible for me to continue with any credibility in the office of chairman of the party.”
Service
Murray served as a senior minister and deputy prime minister in the PNC administration between 1985 and 1992. He also served as head of the Presidential Secretariat, head of the Department of International Economic Cooperation, and permanent secretary in the Ministry of Trade. Murray also had a stint in diplomatic service at Guyana’s Embassy in Brussels. He had been an MP for the PNC since 1985 and served as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee until May 2006.
Murray was highly qualified; he had gained a BSc (Hons) in Economics from the London School of Economics; a Certificate in Public Finance from the IMF; an LLB from the University of Guyana and a Legal Education Certificate from the Hugh Wooding Law School.
Murray was born on January 31, 1941 and grew up in Leguan; he chose Leguan to announce his bid for the PNCR presidential candidacy.
Approached
Murray had been in the midst of a hectic campaign to be the presidential candidate for the PNCR at the next general elections. He had been on visits to various parts of the country.
He had disclosed that a number of persons had approached him to run for the presidential candidacy of the party. Prior to this, he had lost a bid to become party leader after challenging Corbin for the position. Murray had said that the decision to contest for the top leadership of the party forced him to do an assessment of what the response was to his candidacy and hence determine the level of support and the way forward.
Murray had over 30 years of experience in the party and reflecting on this last year, he said that he had received nothing but unconditional love and affection and an open embrace from the rank and file of the party membership.
“I, therefore, am reinforced by that display of openness and love and respect for me that at the end of the day it would be matters of that kind rather than anything to do with ethnicity that will determine whether I succeed…” he said then.
