Delivered by Acting PM and Finance Minister Winston Dookeran at the funeral of Rev. Cyril Paul in San Fernando:
His words at all times provoked our leaders, especially our politicians, to anchor the practice of politics on a solid moral foundation.
His ideas have inspired our young generation with expectations that our society can be founded on the ideals of truth, justice and freedom.
His presence was everywhere in Tunapuna, Santa Cruz, Guicao, Woodbrook, Diego Martin, San Juan, Curepe and indeed San Fernando - at our funerals, marriages and prayers. And he always brought a sense of peace, comfort and serenity to those around him, punctuated with a great sense of humour.
And, indeed, his life as the title of his book proclaimed was a Response to a Call. His call was to go beyond tolerance into the realm of a new discovery.
Having come from different places, we are now in an exciting search for a new Caribbean identity; a call for nation building, a call for a new nationalism – this, he did with compelling humility as he held several high public offices including in the Caribbean Council of Churches and the Inter-Religious Organization.
By not giving up on the goodness and potential in his fellowman even after he was brutally robbed and beaten not once but twice, he showed us that we must never stop being generous and kind to one another no matter what blows we get, or no matter how unfair the world seems.
Being a good Presbyterian he was welcomed and embraced by Hindus, Muslims and all Christians as he represented the oneness of our people, a rare gift in a world full of tribal tensions, religious fervour and ethnic rivalries.
These are my immediate reflections on Cyril Paul, an attentive listener, deep thinker and an amazing orator.
The Response to a Call was not a collection of sermons but of speeches over the years 1979 to 2006. They ultimately reflected the enormous courage and captured the measure of the man.
On September 29, 2003 in delivering the prayer in the opening of our Parliament, he provoked the anger of some of our politicians who described his prayer as inappropriate and publicly decried it. As it turned out, it was an expression of his conscience. He called then for different behaviour in politics.
This is what Reverend Paul said at that time which he included in the introductory call in his book:
Loving and Merciful Father, we pray for your forgiveness, when through our speech, attitude and action we fail to acknowledge Your presence and we bring dishonour and disrepute to the good name of Parliament. We ask your forgiveness for the times when in our desire to score points we make statements and say things which we know are not true and responsible.
The events since then in the politics of our country have shown that his foresight was indeed appropriate.
In all this, his devoted wife and partner in life, Barbara, supported his inner strength supplemented his efforts in the church and provided a serene atmosphere for all those around him. Barbara and Cyril had several close friends, and I feel extremely privileged to be counted among them. And I acknowledge his teachings, particularly when he so succinctly put it when asked about mixing politics and religion, he quipped, life itself is politics.
Today, we bid farewell to Cyril, but we know, that the inspiration he transmitted to our generation would live on to shape the character of the next generation. His is a vibrant legacy that will keep our nation on track.
Cyril Paul was a noble and gentle leader of our times and on behalf of the Prime Minister of our country Kamla Persad Bissessar and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, I salute the life of Cyril Paul. And in so doing, today, we express our deep appreciation and gratitude for Cyril Paul for being what he was and what difference he made to our nation.
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