“A force to be reckoned with” – Ashton Chase, OE, SC bidden final goodbyes

Remembered as an outstanding figure who fought for the rights of the working class, tributes poured in as final goodbyes were said to politician and Attorney-at-Law Ashton Chase on Friday.

His invaluable contributions to Guyana were reflected upon during a funeral service at Parliament Buildings, attended by President Irfaan Ali, Government Ministers, the Diplomatic Corp, members of the Judiciary, and other officials.
Prior to this, his procession stopped briefly at Freedom House for persons to pay their respects. The final bout of the proceedings led to Good Hope, East Coast Demerara, for cremation.

Chase is regarded as the father of labour and industrial relations law in Guyana, having served as a trade unionist alongside towering figures like Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow. He was a politician, a barrister-at-law, an attorney-at-law, as well as a prolific author.

President Irfaan Ali shared that Chase was on the frontlines of protecting the rights of the working class, and stood up against injustice. While his life straddled many spheres, his passion was pronounced in law, labour and the liberation of Guyana.
The Head of State highlighted, “He was a man who stood up for justice, and offered his service whenever there was injustice…I am firm in my belief that he is one of the most outstanding individuals that our country has produced. Not only was he a great man, but importantly, he was a good man. He was not after fame, but preferred working in service to the working class of this country. He was good because he served the workers of Guyana and did so with selfless dedication.
“He was a force to be reckoned with. He was known for his preciseness, his deliberate language and well-prepared arguments…He was insightful.”

Contributions
Ashton Alton Chase was born July 18, 1926, on Hadfield Street, Werk-en-Rust, to an impoverished family but his grandmother was the beacon of his support. She introduced him to trade unionism at an early age. He attended Alleyne’s High School on Regent Street.
At 17, he began working at the British Guiana Labour Union and later achieved his senior Cambridge Certificate, gaining admission as an external student at London University. He would then secure an intermediate Bachelor of Laws degree privately.
After serving at the BGLU in various positions, he secured a British Trade Union Congress scholarship in 1948 that allowed him to study economics at Ruskin College, Oxford, and trade unionism in London.
Chase founded the Political Affairs Committee alongside Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan and Jocelyn Hubbard in 1946. The PAC was the precursor to the formation of the People’s Progressive Party in 1950.
Taking a victory at the 1953 elections, he served as the first Labour Minister of British Guiana. After the British suspended the Constitution, Chase left for England to pursue law. After graduating with honours, he was admitted to the Bar in 1957.
Upon returning, he began to establish his practice, focusing on labour law. In 1961, he was appointed President of the Senate by the PPP and later served as a Member of Parliament.
Throughout his long-spanning career, Chase served as President of the National Association for Agricultural Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), co-founder of the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic, President of the Guyana Bar Association and Chairman of the Legal Education of the West Indies – the only Guyanese to serve in that capacity.
He was a senior counsel, an author and a recipient of the Order of Excellence.
In paying his tribute, Prime Minister of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Ralph Gonsalves labelled Chase as a Guyanese icon.
“This revolutionary personality, this man from the bowels of the people of Guyana, a socialist, a man who was dedicated to the poor and the working people, his partnership with Cheddi Jagan and all the people in the People’s Progressive Party. Ashton Chase accomplished so much to uplift the working people and the peasantry. He has been an example to me.”
Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran voiced that Chase played a pioneering role in the Guyana of today.
“The Guyana which we live today has been shaped substantially by the efforts of Ashton Chase.”
Meanwhile, Attorney General, Senior Counsel Anil Nandlall also expressed, “He lived to see the party he helped form start the process of ultimate achievement of the original goal of both the PAC and the PPP…In the end, he saw that the race was not for the swift but for those who can endure the most.”
He was remembered for being a voice for the working class, standing at the helm of the sugar belt to support workers. Chase piloted the Labour Amendment Bill in 1953 at a time when workers were struggling in the sugar industry.
Former Labour Minister Nanda Gopaul shared, “He did not lose sight of the working people, he educated himself though he was from a poor and humble background…Ashton struggled along the bargaining table, in negotiations, arbitrations and then after, in the court of law. Whatever sugar workers achieved, whatever improvement they had, it was as a result of the struggles of Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, Ashton Chase and Boysie Ramkarran.” (G12)