Tributes poured in today for Former Leader of the People’s National Congress and former Opposition Leader, Robert Corbin at his funeral service.
The tributes were led by President Irfaan Ali, who remembered Corbin as an astute politician who put country before self.
The President described Robert Corbin as a self-made politician, whose political fortitude was forged through years of active engagement in the political work that he undertook for his party.
“Few could match his commitment to party and his governments, elevation to the position of Deputy Prime Minister, was, therefore not the product privilege of luck but through sustained service, much comment has already been made about his commitment to coalition politics but he was also a firm apostle of national reconciliation, “the President stated.
President Ali said while Robert Corbin did not always succeed in translating his aspirations into political outcomes, his advocacy for national reconciliation and shared governance was an important part of his public life.
“It is perhaps in this respect, that report Corbin’s legacy speaks most directly to the present, the aspirations he championed remains unfinished business, and the challenge in translating them into doable national compact continues to confront us, his life and political journey invite us to revisit not merely not what was envisioned in 1950 but what we must do now collectively to realize that vision in the Guyana of today,” the President noted.
Meanwhile, current Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform, Aubrey Norton remembered his fallen comrade as a leader who played an important role in youth development.
He said Corbin was a loyal and resilient member of the People’s National Congress, and became the only leader of the Party who was the Chairman of the Youth and Student Movement, the the party’s General Secretary and the Party’s Chairman before eventually becoming the Party Leader.
“Comrade Corbin’s contribution is indelibly etched in the history of the PNC/R and in the minds of all of our members and supporters. Indubitably, his contribution to political youth development in Guyana is unapparelled, his impact in the youths 1960’s through to the 1970s was so significant that he became popularly known in the YSM as three, means Forbes Burnham at number 1, Ptolemy Reid at number 2 and the Robert Corbin as the third in line thus the nickname, three,” Norton recalled.
Mr. Norton recalled Mr. Corbin’s political work and said that work was not by his own ambitions. He remembered in 2011 when Corbin stepped back from being the party’s Presidential candidate and supported a primary run-off to elect the party’s Presidential Candidate.
In his honour, Mr. Norton said the party’s next Presidential candidate will be chosen through the a primary process.
“Robert’s commitment to coalition style politics, led him to be involved in the politics of constructive engagement with the PPP. Was there the political will on the other side of the political spectrum and the decisions of that agreement implemented, it would have borne fruits and Guyana would have been in a much better position today vis-a vis national unity,” Mr, Norton stated.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, also remembered Mr. Corbin as a statesman who served his country and party.
“So here is a man, who kept his composure, kept flow charting difficult decision and more particularly continue to work to reach to goals of servings and regardless of the history whence we came, no one can deny, that a person who has served at the highest level of government for almost 20 years would have influenced, impacted or uplifted the lives of our people,” the Speaker said.
Delivering the tribute on behalf of the family, was the niece of Robert Corbin, Dr. Nicola Corbin, who said her uncle’s love for family was second to none.
“Robert Corbin’s legacy has been forged in public, history will record that, but I would say his legacy was also forged in private, in homes, around Christmas tables, on seawalls, in swimming pools and rivers, in car rides and in the life of one little girl waiting anxiously for him to look up from her test papers and say very good”, she noted.
Longtime PNC Reform Member and former Member of Parliament, Lurlene Nestor who worked for a number of years close to Corbin at Congress Place said he was a leader who always made it clear that no one was bigger than the party.
Robert Corbin was 78-years-old.
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