GEORGETOWN – Sir Shridath “Sonny” Ramphal, who once wrote that his life “cannot be said to be an example entirely of cultivated aims and pursued ambitions (and) more of following instincts,” died today. He was 95-years-old.
In a statement announcing his “peaceful” death, the family said he was surrounded by his children and described him as “a towering figure in international diplomacy and a cherished elder statesman of the Commonwealth and the Caribbean”.
According to the family statement, Sir Shridath was educated at King’s College London and Gray’s Inn, London, and that his “distinguished career spanned numerous pivotal roles” including Assistant Attorney-General of the West Indies Federation, Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs of Guyana and Secretary General of the Commonwealth. He also held concurrent positions as Chancellor of the University of Guyana, the University of the West Indies and Warwick University.
Globally respected, Sir Shridath served in various capacities, including President of the World Conservation Union, Special Adviser to the UN Conference on Environment and Development and Chief Negotiator for the Caribbean on External Economic Relations. He was also a mediator and facilitator in elections and constitutional crises.
As the longest-serving Commonwealth Secretary General from 1975 to 1990, Sir Shridath was instrumental in the fight against institutional racism in Southern Africa, playing a key role in the termination of apartheid in South Africa. Nelson Mandela once said of him: “He is one of those men who have become famous because, in their fight for human justice, they have chosen the whole world as their theatre.”
Sir Shridath was the recipient of numerous prestigious honours, including the Order of the Caribbean Community (OCC), the Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of St. Michael and St. George (GCMG), the Order of Excellence of Guyana (OE), the Order of Merit of Jamaica (OM), the Order of the Companions of Oliver Tambo from South Africa, Honorary Companion of the Order of Australia (AC), and an appointment to the Order of New Zealand, New Zealand’s highest civil honour.
He was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Lady Lois Ramphal, on September 20, 2019. He is also survived by his children Susan, Ian, Mark, Amanda as well as his his son-in-law, Sir Ronald Sanders, the Antigua and Barbuda Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States (OAS). (CM/CMC)
