Ronald Gajraj, who controversially served as Guyana’s Minister of Home Affairs and later as High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh, died yesterday.
Saying that he lived a very “useful life,” former president Donald Ramotar hailed Gajraj for his ability to stem the crime wave during the PPP/C’s time in office despite the political interference he was facing.
“You can now appreciate what Gajraj was up against at that period in time and the fact that they managed to bring the situation under control with the cooperation of some other officers in the force who worked with him professionally,” he told Sunday Stabroek hours after the 65-year-old died at a city hospital.
Gajraj served as Minister of Home Affairs from January, 1999 to May, 2005, when he was forced to resign after local and international pressure was applied to the then Bharrat Jagdeo-led administration due to allegations linking the minister to the activities of a death squad.
Gajraj returned home from India where he was posted as Guyana’s High Commissioner to India and Bangladesh shortly after a change in government in May, 2015.
Ramotar joined other members of the party in reflecting on the many contributions that Gajraj has made to the country.
Sunday Stabroek was unable to reach his relatives for comments.
Speaking to this newspaper via telephone, the former president said that Gajraj’s death was a great loss. In addition to his security and diplomatic careers, Gajraj was an attorney and in his younger days served in the army.
Ramotar said that the period of time during which Ramotar served as the Home Affairs Minister, probably with the exception of the 1960s, “was the most difficult period in the history of our country because not only was the crime high, but the crime was high because it was political hands and political direction, it was centrally directed in the crime situation. He added that some of these elements currently hold high positions in the government.
“He really served this country as a patriot, fighting to protect the ordinary people from the crime that had existed then,” Ramotar stressed.
He recalled seeing Ramotar several months ago and expressed regret for continuously putting off trips to go and see him to have some “more talks.”
“I always admired him,” he said before adding that as the then General Secretary of the party, he had always given him maximum support to him.
It was the series of sensational statements about the activities of a death squad and its links to Gajraj, made by self-confessed death squad informant, George Bacchus, that led to a presidential inquiry that resulted in the minister’s ouster.
The inquiry, however, cleared Gajraj of any involvement in the activities although it raised concern about his associations. It was believed that the death squad was formed in the wake of the 2002 jail break and was responsible for dozens of killings of suspected criminals and others.
Shortly after the inquiry ended, Gajraj was appointed High Commissioner to India by Jagdeo and kept a low profile thereafter. In April of 2015, just one month short of the General Elections, Gajraj was also appointed as High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
The father of two resigned when the APNU+AFC won the elections in May, 2015 and returned home and had been living here with his family.
Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, in an invited comment, said that he has always held always held Gajraj in high esteem. “A solid comrade in arms. He served his country as a soldier, protecting our country’s territorial sovereignty, as Minister of Government in service to the people and as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of India. A respected Attorney-at-Law,” he said. He said he last saw him about three months ago.
Another PPP member, Anil Nandlall, took to social media following news of Gajraj’s death. “He was a colleague at the Bar, a former Minister of Home Affairs, a former High Commissioner of Guyana to India and a friend. In recent times, he called me on a regular basis to offer his wise counsel in many of the political cases in which I am engaged. His insights were valued,” he said before offering condolence to Gajraj’s wife Chandra Gajraj and his children, Aparna and Ranveer.
The PPP, in a brief statement, noted that he will best be remembered for the “pivotal role he played as Home Affairs Minister in the fight against crime at a very challenging time of this nation’s history”.
The statement added that Gajraj was also a very loyal and dedicated supporter of the PPP/C.
