Politicians from across the political divide, including immediate past President Donald Ramotar and former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, joined President David Granger and other Government officials to bid farewell today to former Deputy Prime Minister, Haslyn Parris.
The Funeral Service for the former Minister under the People’s National Congress Government was held at the St Anthony Padua Catholic Church in Buxton, where he was born and grew up as a boy.
Glowing tributes were made as Parris was remembered as a Guyanese Politician who embodied the true meaning of patriotism.
The 75-year-old died at the Balwant Singh Hospital last week after a period of illness.
The Eulogy was read jointly by his children, Sarah, Damani and Yerodin Parris in which he was again remembered as a devout Guyanese.
He was hailed for using his efforts to solving Guyanese problems. It was repeated several times during the service that he lived a full and interesting life and was kept agile by his love for music.
Parris was born in Buxton Village, East Coast Demerara, on March 2, 1941. He received his secondary education at Queen’s College, Georgetown, where he won the Guiana Scholarship in 1959.
He attended the University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica, earning the BSc (Mathematics), 1962 and the London School of Economics, earning the BSc (Economics), 1966 and the MSc (Economics), 1967.
He served as Chief Economist, Bank of Guyana and Head of the State Planning Secretariat. He was also appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Bauxite Company and later, Minister of Planning and Development and Deputy Prime Minister.
Parris was a member of the Guyana Elections Commission and the Constitution Reform Commission. Even after his retirement, he still continued to serve Guyana on several Boards and Commissions. He published several books, some on governance in Guyana and others that simply showcased his amazing sense of humor.
He was awarded Guyana’s third highest national award, the Cacique’s Crown of Honour (CCH) for his public service.
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