I was a newly qualified lawyer and my specialization was Constitutional and Civil Law so he was twice the exemplar for me — as a statesman and person who spent his life serving the people, and one of the country’s most accomplished attorneys.
His earnest and diligent efforts to ensure that our country’s first Constitution enshrined and reflected in spirit and in law the true tenets of democracy and the commitment to the rule of law was perhaps, as I’ve said before, his greatest achievement in a life so full of remarkable milestones.
And what a life that was.
The history books will record Sir Ellis Emmanuel Innocent Clarke as a man whose ultimate vision, which we continue to hold dear as a nation, was achieving justice, independence and equality for all citizens of this country.
Born in 1917 in Belmont, Port of Spain, Sir Ellis defied the prejudices of our colonial past to tackle the most complicated problem of the day, that of achieving quality education which was, and remains, the ticket out of poverty and the passport to success.
Sir Ellis’s life remains an inspirational testament to patriotism, dedication and nationalism.
He was an academic whose brilliance earned him an island scholarship which enabled him to study law in England in the 1940s. Instead of taking what would have then been an easy route out and staying in England to access a profitable career and lifestyle, Sir Ellis chose to return to his homeland, which, at the time, was in the throes of social unrest and political changes.
He immediately played his part in what would become the movement inspired by our other dearly departed founders such as Dr. Eric Williams and Dr. Rudranath Capildeo by entering the public service with his extensive legal knowledge and competence.
He brought dignity and respect to every public office he held and heralded the dawn of a new era with the enactment of our Republican constitution.
Sir Ellis served our country as Solicitor General, Deputy Colonial Secretary, Attorney General and Constitutional Advisor to the Cabinet. He was our country’s last Governor General and facilitated the end of our colonial status and era. He managed the transition from Governor General to President of our new Republic with intelligence, equanimity, grace and charm.
But his most enduring and greatest contribution to this country came in 1962, when he drafted Trinidad and Tobago’s first Constitution, thereby founding the framework for our democracy, for which we are internationally respected and which remains the bulwark for our administration of justice and our rule of law.
The introduction of constitutional, fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the State to its citizens is part of his intellectual legacy that we will always cherish. But his contribution did not end there.
In the years following Independence when we needed a scholar and diplomat to represent us to the world to establish our strength and worth as a new nation, Sir Ellis once more answered the call to national service.
He was our most active and outstanding diplomat to many countries, ensuring almost singlehandedly that our nation became known internationally for its unity, diversity and harmony. Indeed, this is our legacy as a people and for which we are so proud.
It was only natural therefore that Sir Ellis became this country’s first and longest serving President when we became a Republic in 1976, having been in many ways a pioneer of our independence.
But his valuable contribution was not only limited to our region. He was one of only six experts worldwide who was asked to submit reports to Australia's Republic Advisory Committee in 1993 which detailed our country's experience in moving from a Constitutional Monarchy to a Republic.
In the years since, Sir Ellis remained a clear, powerful voice in the progression of our society’s democracy by his enduring work in Constitutional Reform.
But more than that, he remained the true grandfather of our nation—the man whose quiet dignity, willingness and availability to serve and give advice to any citizen inspired us all as citizens as to what a true role model is and should be.
He was a man of courage, a man of vision and he was endowed with one of the greatest virtues that any person can have - humility. He epitomized the truism that he walked with kings and queens but never lost his common touch.
On this sad occasion, ladies and gentlemen, I extend the condolences of the government and the people of Trinidad and Tobago and my personal condolences and that of my family’s to the family and friends of Sir Ellis.
Peter and the rest of Sir Ellis’s family, I know that in the most critical times in the life of this country, your father was called upon to chart a way forward for our nation and people for the survival of Trinidad and Tobago’s independence and democracy.
This remarkable task he did with courage, competence and strength. Now, we here and indeed people all around the region, in all humility and honour, offer you and the rest of his family our strength.
May God comfort you during this period of grief over the loss of this great man who lived the history of Trinidad and Tobago through every trial and triumph as the exemplar of dignified leadership and service to his country.
Always remember, as Mother Teresa once said, “Death is nothing else but going home to God, the bond of love will be unbroken for all eternity.”
Take comfort from the Holy Bible, in the Book of Corinthians, which states that:
"For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.”
To my fellow citizens, the loss our former President, Sir Ellis at this important juncture in the history of Trinidad and Tobago is indeed a wakeup call for us all.
At this time of transition in our nation his death reminds us as a people of the life of a patriot who defied all the odds to ensure that our country grew from a mere promise into the progressive nation we are today.
Now it falls to all of us to ensure that we continue with the patriotism and nation building to which Sir Ellis dedicated his life.
He cleared the path for our country’s democracy and rest assured that his spirit will always continue to light the way. His spirit lives on in the commitment of every citizen, especially members of our august Parliament and Government, to serve with selflessness and dedication as he did.
Let us all therefore commit, as a tribute to the life and achievements of this great man, to re-doubling our efforts and reaffirming our obligation to continue his sacred life’s mission of ensuring that Trinidad and Tobago remains a place of unity, equality, justice and lasting peace.
Only through our unwavering commitment to this objective can we truly honour the memory of this dearly departed patriot and hero of our soil. That would indeed be the best memorial to Sir Ellis.
Sir Ellis’ life represents and reflects our political and constitutional evolution to nationhood which placed us firmly within the community of free nations.
It was his legal and humanitarian craftsmanship which ensured above all that our citizens were guaranteed by law our sacred rights to freedom, dignity, equality, fairness and justice.
As Prime Minister, and as current Chair of the Commonwealth, deeply conscious on a personal basis of his vast contribution to Trinidad and Tobago and to the Commonwealth, particularly in matters dealing with constitutional reform, I am very pleased to announce to the national community that this morning, we held discussions with the Principal of the St. Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies and the University has agreed that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago will endow the Sir Ellis Clarke Chair in Commonwealth Parliamentary and Constitutional Studies.
This Chair will be a major centre of learning available to and serving not only Trinidad and Tobago but the entire Commonwealth, as well as students of constitutional studies all over the world. It will be of immense value as governments everywhere seek to reform and adapt their constitutions to meet national needs.
The pioneering work of our own Sir Ellis will be brought to bear on future generations.
This endowment will honour not only his work in a major field of Government endeavour but his legacy will continue to benefit students, researchers and scholars from all over the world in a field of study that was literally his passion
May his soul rest in peace.
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