Barely one month after he celebrated his fifty-second birthday, constable Ramphal Pardat #15636 was laid to rest at the Babu John Cemetery yesterday, after being brutally murdered by unknown gunmen at Rose Hall Town in the line of duty on Monday.
Hundreds of mourners from all walks of life visited his home to pay their last respects, and at 3 pm when the funeral procession left for the cemetery they lined the streets, almost from end to end in Rose Hall.
Born on June 25, 1950 at Novar Mahaicony, into a very poor farming family, he was the second of four children, three boys and one girl. He excelled at school but because of his impoverished background, left at a young age and worked as a handyman and salesman in a shop to assist his family financially.
After some years Pardat moved to Berbice and joined the Guyana Police Force in 1976. He performed his job with distinction until his tragic death on July 22, 2002. The eldest daughter of the late policeman, Natasha Seecharran, a teacher at Mibicuri Secondary School, delivered a tear-filled eulogy.
The funeral was attended by Minister of Home Affairs, Ronald Gajraj; acting Commissioner of Police, Floyd Mc Donald; Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy; Commander of ‘B’ Division, Malvin Glasgow, Regional Chairman, Rohit Persaud, and many senior and junior police officers.
Persaud urged that Pardat’s “life be an example, a role model for the young
and old to follow” and assured that the PPP/C government would do everything possible to promote and maintain a good relationship between all the stakeholders in society.
Ramsammy, in his remarks attributed what is happening in Guyana today as a battle between the forces of good and evil.
McDonald in his tribute said that Pardat died “under tragic circumstances, circumstances which would have been avoided, but came about because of the brutality of the criminals which the policemen and policewomen have to encounter on a daily basis.” He further added that it would not deter the force from fulfilling its functions. Law and order must be maintained, he reiterated and those “who feel that picking off policemen one by one can weaken the organisation are making a mistake.” Moreover, he warned that “those who provide support to criminals, whether directly or indirectly should understand that the blood of these policemen is on their hands.”
The commissioner said that the Guyana Police Force was not alone anymore, announcing that regional support has been extended especially from the Jamaican police commissioner. He concluded that everything would be done to rid this country of such criminal elements and return it to its former state, and requested that the citizens continue to support the police who are doing their best with limited resources available. He promised that “this fight will be a fight to the finish.”
Gajraj told the family that he was asked by President Bharrat Jagdeo to convey his deepest sympathy and condolences to them and his regrets that he could not have been present.
The Police Band from Georgetown created a comforting atmosphere and the march to the grave site was perfectly synchronised. At Babu John, the gun salute marked the end of Constable Pardat’s journey in this life.