Murray’s funeral for Monday at St George’s CathedralFormer Deputy Prime Minister and PNCR-1G MP Winston Murray will be buried on his home island of Leguan on Tuesday following a funeral service in the city on Monday.
Russell Lancaster, the Chairman of the Protocol Committee planning the funeral, said Murray’s body will lie in state at either Public Buildings or the National Cultural Centre from 10 am on Monday, before being transported to the St George’s Cathedral for a funeral service. The service is scheduled to start at 2 pm. Murray’s body will then be transported to Leguan where an inter-faith service will be held before he is buried. The inter-faith service is scheduled to start at 10 am on Tuesday.
A statement issued yesterday said Murray’s family had mandated the committee to oversee the preparations for the funeral of Murray. Besides Lancaster, the committee comprises Dr Richard Van West-Charles, Kads Khan, Malcolm Parris, Ronald Austin, Aubrey Norton, Priest Mwanza, Gillian Burton and Eugene Gilbert.
Meanwhile, the PNCR yesterday announced that it will host an ‘Evening of Reflections’ on Murray’s life and legacy at Congress Place, Sophia today, starting at 7 pm. A Book of Condolence will also be opened at the party’s ‘Hall of Heroes’ at Congress Place from 10 am today. The book will remain open each day between 10 am and 4 pm until the day of the funeral, the party said.
Apart from the Evening of Reflections today, Lancaster said, the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) will host a wake tomorrow evening at its headquarters.
Murray, 69, passed away on Monday evening while still hooked up to a life support machine. At the time of his demise he was a sitting Member of Parliament and had been campaigning vigorously to be his party’s presidential candidate at next year’s general elections. 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. He performed the functions of President of Guyana on two occasions. Murray also had a stint in the 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. He was elected Chairman of the PNCR at the Special Congress in February 2003 but resigned last year January
Murray 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 before passing away on Monday night.
