Founding member of the People’s Progressive Party, and labour movement pioneer, attorney Ashton Chase SC, passed away on Monday night and was hailed for especially the role he played in defending the interests of the working class.
He was 96 years old.
“Ashton’s death is a great loss to our country but we can be consoled about the quality of life he lived and contributions he made as his legacy will live on, since I believe that every Guyanese benefited from the causes he championed throughout his lifetime, be it for democracy, the labour movement, or human rights,” former president Donald Ramotar and longtime friend of Chase told Stabroek News in an interview.
“As an attorney, his legal practice was different because he focussed on labour issues and became famous for being not only a strong labour representative but one of democracy and human rights. Some of the cases, such as the one with Arnold Rampersaud… and many others shows this. He was the main lawyer in the famous Teemal case too, fighting acts of discrimination and fighting for trade union recognition too,” he added.
Chase, Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, and Jocelyn Hubbard, formed the Political Affairs Commi-tee in 1947 which was the precursor to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) in 1950.
Chase would later move away from the PPP and became heavily involved in labour and his legal practice. He had a long association with the union, the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE).
The former president said that when Chase is remembered, it should be of “a true national hero in this country” as “his contribution to the fight for Guyana’s independence and overall democracy cannot be overstated.”
“He was a pioneer in many ways. At a very young age he developed a lot of social and political consciousness and that led him to the trade union movement. It was within that movement that he came into contact with Jocelyn Hubbard who was at that time the head of the Guyana Trades Union Congress. Through Jocelyn Hubbard he was introduced to Cheddi and Janet Jagan,” Ramotar related.
And together with two others, Chase formed what was then called the Poli-tical Affairs Committee (PAC), around the time of the beginning of the independence struggle in this country.
“He was the only founder of the PAC who participated in the 1947 elections but he was too young to vote. He campaigned with Dr. and Mrs. Jagan supporting their candidacy. And in 1950 when the PPP was formed, he was there and was identified to be the Chairman of the PPP. However, he stepped aside for Forbes Burnham who had just returned to Guyana as a lawyer,” Ramotar recalled.
Within the PPP, Chase played an integral and leading role, according to Ramotar, and he was elected to parliament in the 1953 elections and served as Minister of Labour in the first democratically elected government that same year.
“In the short period that he served, he had scored many important gains for workers. He had been working on the Workmen Compensation Bill and had also introduced the Labour Relations Bill. They were supported by the people but were, however, not assented to by the Governor.
“That Bill had sought to strengthen that exposition of the working class by democratising industrial relations, giving workers the right to choose, workers the right to choose a union to represent them. It was also aimed at ending company unionism. Unfor-tunately it was not put into law because the British Governor, Sir Alfred Savage, did not assent to it,” Ramotar lamented.
Chase had left Guyana to study law in the United Kingdom and when he returned, Ramotar said that he established a legal practice but “continued his work, both in the trade union movement and in the policies sphere of the country.”
In 1961 he became the head of the Senate in the then British Guiana and had also played an important role in helping the PPP to implement its industrialisation programme.
“It was under his chairmanship that the first industrial estate was established at Ruimveldt. He fought hard in the 1964 elections, being the PPP manager, hoping to stem the attacks of the United States’ Central Intelligence Agency and the British Government that had joined with the breakaway section of the PPP and had formed a new party in the PNC.
The PPP lost government at those elections but Chase became Deputy Leader of the Opposition beside the late Dr Cheddi Jagan. He was also at the time Chairman of the PPP.
Caribbean law school
Staying behind the scenes, Ramotar said that Chase continued his legal practice and wrote several books on trade union and politics and law. “His contribution in helping to establish the Caribbean law school is well recognised. He was a humble, modest and unassuming man, always very considerate of others and to the end remained very close to the working class of this country,” Ramotar stated.
On his Facebook page, President Irfaan Ali expressed condolences as he too said that Chase’s passing was a great loss to Guyana.
“His death represents an incalculable loss to our nation. His name and contributions will forever be etched in our country’s political, labour and legal history. He made an exceptional contribution to Guyana’s nationalist struggle and political history and was the last surviving member of the Political Affairs Committee established in 1946. He was among our finest legal minds and was a pillar of our country’s early trade union activism, authoring the most authoritative work on our trade union history. I extend my deepest condolences to his bereaved family,” the President was quoted as saying.
General Secretary of the PPP and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo also expressed condolences on behalf of himself and the party. “Our country owes an eternal debt of gratitude to this outstanding son of the soil. Guyana has lost an amazing human being”, he said in a post on his Facebook page.
Finance Minister Ashni Singh posted a photo on his ministry’s page and the following statement: “Deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Ashton Chase OE SC, a truly gigantic figure in Guyana’s history.
“He was the founding Member of the Political Affairs Committee, precursor to the People’s Progressive Party, celebrated authority on industrial relations and the law, champion of the working people, and the epitome of humility and civility.
“Ashton’s masterful knowledge of labour and litigation, as well as his sterling contribution to politics and the work of the party, have served Guyana exceptionally well. I extend heartfelt condolences to his family and relatives. His legacy of long and distinguished service to Guyana will never be forgotten”.
Reflections also poured in from many others with Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran issuing a tribute hailing his friend and mentor with whom he also worked or served “on the several occasions that he was president in the turbulent times of the bar association’s fight for free and fair elections, democracy and the rule of law. He was a leading figure in the struggle for democracy in Guyana from 1946 to 1992.”
Like Ramotar, he too gave an overview of Chase’s political and trade unionism career. “For many years he was the president of NAACIE which itself played an important role in the struggle for trade union and electoral democracy. He was a leading member of the GUARD (Guyanese Action for Reform and Democracy) movement which had emerged in the later 1980s to join the fight for free and fair elections. He served in many bodies, including as Chair of Guyana Legal Aid.”
“…Ashton Chase was a senior counsel, a distinction that he and others were denied for many years by the Burnham administration as acts of political discrimination. He was the holder of the Order of Excellence,” he added.
Multidimensional
Attorney General Anil Nandlall SC reflected on Chase’s works, saying that “It is a virtual impossibility to encapsulate the life and multidimensional contribution of Mr. Chase to Guyana, the Caribbean and even further afield, in a singular Facebook post. Suffice it to say that he has rendered remarkable contributions in the area of trade unionism, politics, the legal profession and legal education in the West Indies.
“Through this medium, it is extraordinarily difficult to assess in which of those areas of national life his accomplishments have been the most profound. For he has made a lasting impact of almost equal magnitude in each.”
He also pointed to Chase’s role at the Hugh Wooding Law School where he “served with distinction as Chairman of the Council of Legal Education of the West Indies for many years and played an instrumental role in the automatic entry of the Bachelor of Laws graduates from the University of Guyana into the Hugh Wooding Law School of Trinidad and Tobago, a very controversial issue for many years.”
In his years in practice where his and Nandlall’s offices were near to each other, the Attorney General said that he benefitted from Chase’s “wise counsel on a regular basis on many intricate issues of law – engagements from which I benefitted incalculably.’
And with Chase still working well into his early 90s, Nandlall said that “many a times I marveled at his ability to arrive at his office in the mornings long before me while he was in his late eighties and early nineties.”
He noted that this country has lost a legend and that “his passing has brought an important historical epoch to an end.”
The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) also paid tribute to Chase.
“Comrade Ashton Chase was a remarkable figure who dedicated his life to championing the rights and welfare of workers in Guyana. As a committed Guyanese, he tirelessly advocated for fair treatment, improved working conditions, and better opportunities for all. He was a beacon of hope for workers who are cheated by their employers. Comrade Chase’s unwavering determination and passion were an inspiration to his fellow colleagues and the wider community. His advocacy efforts played a pivotal role in raising awareness about the challenges faced by workers and in seeking justice and equity for them,” the union said in a statement.
“Beyond his activism, Comrade Ashton Chase was known for his warmth, compassion, and dedication to uplifting others. He selflessly supported his colleagues, offering guidance and assistance whenever needed. On numerous occasions he stood in the courts with GAWU to secure victories for workers,” the statement added.
In a statement, Chairman of the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic Bishwa Panday noted with sadness Chase’s passing.
“Ashton was a founder member and Director from February, 1993 and Chairperson from May, 2001 to November, 2017. He was also a Director of the Guyana Legal Aid Centre which functioned from the early 70’s to February, 1983.
“During his stewardship at Legal Aid, he was always regular and punctual for meetings and was a very engaged Director and Chairman. In interviews where he sat as Chairperson of the appointments subcommittee, he took great pains to inform lawyers that although we were running a Legal Aid Clinic and many of the persons visiting it were from poor or challenged backgrounds, they must always be treated with dignity and respect and in no way different than if they were able to retain private counsel.
“The legal profession has lost one of its greatest ever practitioners and is much poorer for his passing. On behalf of myself and colleague Directors and the staff of the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic, I wish to convey deepest sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues”, Panday said.
