Bishnodat Persaud was a great economist and teacher
Dear Editor,
It is with deep sorrow that I received the news that distinguished Guyanese economist Prof Bishnodat Persaud, a resident of the UK, has passed away. Over the last several years we spoke on the phone and we met several times in London, New York, and Trinidad. I requested to meet him last May when I visited London for the Brexit vote, but he wrote back saying he was not well. It was only a week ago that colleagues of mine were discussing involving Prof Bishnodat in the organizing of the commemoration (next March) of the centennial of the abolition of indentured servitude. The news of the death of this great economist came to all of us as a shock. We are all greatly saddened of this loss.
Like me, Dr Bishnodat was a Berbician. His illustrious career spanned several prominent positions in prestigious institutions where he excelled with distinction and honours. My first interaction with Dr Bishnodat was some years ago through an email from him saying he received it from a third party and that he wanted to praise my writings that appeared in SN and KN. (He is not known to write in the mass media, but he regularly read all the papers describing SN as a serious professional paper and his favourite). Since then, a very close relationship developed. We communicated regularly by email and phone – he in London and me in NY. He would send me books and academic papers penned by his children or his lovely wife by email or through regular post or through friends. He would query me about certain individuals including politicians and those whose writings appeared in the media. He focused a lot on Guyana’s politics. He would send an almost daily email lauding my polling surveys and writings in the Guyana and Trinidad media that he also read; he also lived in Trinidad. He offered me ideas and suggestions on various topics to write on pertaining to Guyana and the Caribbean. And he corrected some of my pieces in economics and on education, and we discussed issues that troubled me when I was pursuing doctoral studies in economics. We also reminisced a lot about countries where he worked and I visited in the Pacific, Africa and Asia. He interacted with so many world figures it would make anyone jealous. He talked about the social lifestyles of many prominent individuals from the Caribbean and globally that he witnessed or knew about and which would remain a lifelong secret with me. He had a wealth of knowledge and experience on so many issues. He encouraged me to write
the biographies of prominent (Indian and other) politicians who I interacted with in my global travels and research.
Bishnodat-ji was a man of tremendous intelligence and discipline. His knowledge and experience as an economist were invaluable. My gratitude to him will remain forever.
We last met two years ago in London (where he took me to the RAC Club) and a year before that at the Holiday Inn in Flushing and prior to that the Sheraton in Manhattan. We spoke for hours at each meet discussing so many diverse issues. He was absolutely brilliant. His wife, Dr Latchmee, a Trinidadian, whom Bishnodat met in London and wedded before returning to Guyana to work, also joined us in a meet in Flushing. Dr Latchmee, who taught at Queens College, is also brilliant and made an indelible contribution in our discussion on social issues relating to Guyana and Trinidad. They knew most of the academics from UWI (Jamaica, Barbados, and Trinidad) having worked in all three countries and the prominent politicians of the region.
Dr Bishnodat Persaud was a man of integrity who played a role in his own way for the betterment of Guyana. His life was devoted to development in third world societies. He worked on development programmes in several places including India, Fiji and other Pacific islands, Africa, Barbados, Trinidad, Jamaica and other Caribbean countries – economic thoughts he shared with me when I was doing doctoral studies in economics. He collaborated with Prof Clive Thomas on projects relating to Guyana and the Caribbean. Prof Bishnodat revealed to me some of the discussions he and his wife had with Clive Thomas. He also revealed the contents of presentations given by Hamilton Green when he visited Jamaica.
Prof Bishnodat was well connected in the Caribbean region and in the Commonwealth. Often he would give me a tip-off about major political or economic events that would happen in the Caribbean or at Caricom or the Commonwealth way before they actually happened. When he was to be honoured by the Barbados government, he broke the news to me days before it was actually announced asking me to keep it under wraps. And on the day of the event, he wrote, “I was delighted to be included in the Independence Anniversary Honours List of Barbados … the second highest Barbados Honour (CHB) … given for distinguished national achievement and in recognition of my outstanding contribution to public service … The award carries a title, The Honourable, not dissimilar from Antigua’s ‘Sir.’”
Those who met Prof Bishnodat would tell you after an interaction that he was a great economist and teacher. He trained many at the university level. He was a great visionary who wanted to see Guyana develop, but unfortunately it has been on a course of becoming a wasteland because of bad policies of successive regimes going back to the 1960s. Bishnodat played a very important role in helping to rescue Guyana (through a Commonwealth study) when it was bankrupt in the 1980s that ultimately led to the restoration of democratic rule by Hoyte. And he did interact with staff at the High Commission in London. Dr Jagan interacted with him and sought his ideas on developmental matters; there was some falling out between the then High Commissioner and Prof Bishnodat who revealed it to me. Unfortunately, Bishnodat was never recognized or honoured by the Guyana (PPP) government for his contributions to the homeland. It was not the character of PPP to recognize truly deserving outstanding figures. Dr Bishnodat was selected for honour last May by the Y50Independence Group for his tremendous service to the nation.
Over the last several years, he told me he wanted to help his country but had no takers in the PPP or the coalition regime. He would discuss with me suggestions on managing Guyana’s economic crisis, hoping they can be passed on through my friends in the PPP and the coalition, but they fell on deaf ears. As he discovered, most Guyanese politicians are more interested in themselves rather than the nation.
Prof Bishndat’s passing is a profound loss to those of us who knew and interacted with him. He helped so many countries with their development and so many with their studies.
Sincere condolences to his family, devoted friends and followers who gathered from all corners of the world (including the eminent Sir Shridath Ramphal who flew from Barbados to London) to do homage to the memory of a truly great man.