Sir Shridath Ramphal obituary

Sir Shridath Ramphal has passed away at the age of 95 on August 30 2024. Sir Shridath served as Chancellor of the University of Warwick between 1989 and 2002 and held many other significant posts throughout his life, both in his native country of Guyana and abroad in multinational organisations. Perhaps the greatest contribution to his posthumous legacy comes from his 15 years at the helm of the Commonwealth.

Sir Shridath was born in 1928, in what was then known as British Guiana, and later became the independent country of Guyana. It is precisely this transition between Empire and independence, where Britain left its colonial imprint, that deeply influenced his later career.

‘Sonny’ as he was affectionately known, was the eldest of five children, his father worked as a teacher, and they belonged to Guyana’s middle class. In the late 1940s, Sir Shridath won a scholarship to study law at King’s College London, where today he is regarded as one of the university’s most notable alumni. He was called to the bar in 1951, and a year later he returned to his home country to work for the government, filled with idealism about what lay ahead for Guyana and the Caribbean.

“We must never underestimate the influence of the eloquent, reflective and disinterested mind. We should not underestimate Mr Ramphal”

Barbara Ward

Revered as a champion of Guyana, he was pivotal in shaping the country’s foreign policy during his tenure as Attorney General and Minister of Foreign Affairs, maintaining a difficult balance between regional cooperation, global diplomacy, economic development, and environmental sustainability.

Admiration for him stretched beyond the borders of Guyana, receiving the highest national award of all member countries of CARICOM (the Caribbean Community). His impassioned defences of the region and support for its greater integration earned him the moniker ‘Mr Caribbean’. He was bitterly disappointed by the collapse of the short-lived West Indies Federation, but this did not hold him back from attempting to coalesce its constituent countries around common goals. The task of representing the Caribbean in important negotiations was often left up to him, as he attempted to secure advantageous treaties with major trading blocs such as the European Economic Community. This led to the signing of the pivotal Lomé I Convention.

Sir Shridath entered Marlborough House, home to the Secretariat of the Commonwealth, in 1975, where he remained until 1990, serving three full terms as Secretary General. To this day, he remains the longest-serving individual in that position.

Barbara Ward, an economist who focused on development, said of Ramphal in 1979: “We must never underestimate the influence of the eloquent, reflective and disinterested mind. We should not underestimate Mr Ramphal.” Under his leadership, the Commonwealth began to focus on the vulnerabilities of small states, such as those in CARICOM, and he worked tirelessly to bridge divides between nations and peoples.

“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”

Nelson Mandela

Much of Ramphal’s time as Secretary-General was focused on the African continent, specifically Britain’s colony Rhodesia and South Africa, governed by the racist Apartheid regime. Regarding the former, he helped to broker the decolonisation of Rhodesia into Zimbabwe. This ended minority white rule and returned power to the black African majority, who duly elected freedom fighter (and later despot) Robert Mugabe. Although it made him a person non grata in the upper echelons of British power, his work in securing a solution in favour of the African majority burnished his growing reputation in the developing countries of the Commonwealth.

Sir Shridath was relentless in his demands for coordinated action in opposition to the Apartheid government. Ramphal often found himself in direct conflict with Margaret Thatcher, especially regarding the latter’s reluctance to impose punitive sanctions on Apartheid South Africa. Despite her reputation as ‘The Iron Lady’, he went head to head with Thatcher, who eventually relented. Indeed, a poignant recognition of Sir Shridath’s role in the demise of the Apartheid regime was reflected in Nelson Mandela’s decision to make Ramphal’s London residence his first stop on a trip to the United Kingdom, which he used to meet with the ANC’s exiled leadership. Mandela was exceedingly complimentary of Ramphal, stating in 1990: “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.”

Given his role as head of the Commonwealth, it is unsurprising that Ramphal enjoyed a close relationship with the late Queen Elizabeth II, whose conviviality he warmly praised, despite personally opposing a monarchical system of rule. He said of her: “She was never lofty or remote… In all my 15 years, I never met a prime minister or a president — Marxists and Republicans included — who did not set the greatest store by the 20 minutes she spent with each of them at our heads of government meetings.”

Those who knew Sir Shridath spoke of a sharp intellect and a man who was skilled in the art of oration, who was dedicated to serving Guyana, the wider Caribbean region and ultimately the whole of humanity. The currents of the fight against oppression and inequality are traceable across Ramphal’s storied career, with the interest of the world’s oppressed never far below the surface in anything he put himself to.

Sir Shridath left the Office of Chancellor ‘with immense pride in Warwick, with confidence in its future among Britain’s leading universities, and with a profound sense of privilege’

Ramphal preferred to work within existing frameworks and institutions, attempting to reform them from the inside to ensure all voices, be they little or large, were heard. His work within the Commonwealth, which involved catering more to developing countries, arguably put the organisation in a better position to remain relevant, given its status as a remnant of colonialism. In a tribute to Sir Shridath, the current Secretary General, Patricia Scotland commended his leadership, which she praised as “characterised by his belief in the power of dialogue, diplomacy, and cooperation, and his unwavering dedication to justice.”

Sir Shridath served as the University of Warwick’s third Chancellor from 1989 to 2002 during its relative infancy. His service witnessed an immense period of expansion for the University, as it grew from 7,000 students at the beginning of his tenure, to 18,000 when he left his post. The same period saw more than £150 million invested in new buildings on the University campus. His backstory may not be well-known among today’s students, but his legacy lives on in the Ramphal building, home to the School of Cross Faculty Studies. In 2002, Sir Shridath left the Office of Chancellor ‘with immense pride in Warwick, with confidence in its future among Britain’s leading universities, and with a profound sense of privilege.’

His tenure presiding over the University was not the only time he held a position as Chancellor, having also had stints nearer to home, at the University of the West Indies and the University of Guyana.

Sir Shridath had the honour of being knighted not once, but twice. The first time around, the honour was bestowed upon him by Queen Elizabeth II, and the Governor-General of Jamaica, Sir Patrick Allen, repeated the feat in 2013. In later life, he remained active in the international sphere, even appearing before the International Court of Justice at the age of 92, where he represented his country amid a border dispute with Venezuela.

His influence, whilst more broadly admired among fellow diplomats and legal professionals, did extend to popular culture, where he was played by Tony Jayawardena in the Netflix series The Crown.

Sir Sridarth’s funeral was held on September 14, with esteemed attendees from around the region all present to witness his ashes be interred in the Botanical Gardens of the Guyanese capital Georgetown. He will lie there next to other heroes of Guyanese history. At his funeral, CARICOM chair, Dickon Mitchell, spoke of Ramphal’s “finely tuned skills in diplomacy and trade negotiations.” His wife of 67 years, Lois King, died in 2019, but he is survived by their two sons and daughters.