By Leana Bradshaw –
Top opposition and government leaders on Tuesday laid aside their differences to pay tribute to late, former Education Minister Dr Dale Bisnauth.
At an emotionally-charged church service held at Burns Memorial Presbyterian Church, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, speaking on behalf of the president, said the former minister’s personality embodied the complexities of life, as he lived to serve humanity.
Rohee noted that he set the tone for “the church and society, how the church is to serve the society and how the society is to serve the church”. The minister added that “he did both, beautifully combined; he managed to integrate and weave all these talents and endeavours into one… goal and that is to serve”.
He stated too that “he was indeed a very noble man, carrying out a very noble task. Those who set out to serve in the way he did can only be described as exemplary”. Rohee said Bisnauth always spoke positively, whether in Cabinet, Parliament or at his political meetings. He described him as an agent of change.
A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MP) Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, who spoke on behalf of the National Assembly, said the majority of Bisnauth’s 76 years of life was dedicated to serving his country. He pointed out the successes achieved under the various capacities in which Dr Bisnauth served.
“His commitment to social justice is strongly reflected in the ‘Settlement of Indians in Guyana’ (a book he published), which writes the history from the perspective of the working classes and focuses on the contribution of those who came from the Indian lower class to the making of a dynamic Indo-Guyanese culture,” Dr Roopnaraine stated.
Dr Roopnaraine highlighted that one of Dr Bisnauth’s books, ‘The History of Religions in the Caribbean’ published in 1989, in which he searches out religious experiences of the early inhabitants in the region, broke new grounds and is an outstanding contribution to Caribbean scholarship.
Mischievous sense of humour
Meanwhile, Janice Miller, one of Dr Bisnauth’s daughters, said her father had a mischievous sense of humour, with a parenting style that encompassed his love for teaching and God.
“Daddy was not the typically orthodox parent, preferring to combine his parenting style with his love for teaching his religious and philosophical outlook on life. True to form, every appropriate opportunity was taken to teach us life’s lessons, drawing from his personal experience and his own life. Thus, his love for immediate family and extended family was shown whenever he gave us the tales of his youth.”
Others who paid tribute to him, said he was a man of quality, who made sterling contributions to Guyana and the Caribbean.
His eulogy was read by former Education Ministry Permanent Secretary Pulandar Khandai, who said Reverend Dr Dale Bisnauth was the father of seven children, grandfather of 11 and great grandfather of two.
