The Government on Sunday morning held a commemorative ceremony to mark the 17th death anniversary of the late former President Hugh Desmond Hoyte at the Mausoleum, Place of Heroes in the Botanical Gardens, where relatives and friends were gathered.
Addressing the gathering, President David Granger said Hoyte’s policies laid a firm foundation for sustained economic growth and environmental stewardship in Guyana.
“Hugh Desmond Hoyte …was a champion of change in the country. His policies laid a firm foundation for sustained economic growth and environmental stewardship. He embraced continuity in our Party, strengthening it as a major political force in charting collaborative partnerships. Guyana can learn much from his prudent approach to economic management and to political cooperation,” the President said.
Hoytd was the second leader of the People’s National Congress (PNC) which now leads the APNU+AFC Coalition.
He served between 1985 and 1992.
Hoyte’s work followed that of the late Forbes Burnham, who bore the brunt of the battle against the forces of hatred and hostility, President Granger said.
The Head of State described him as a man of his times.
“He was the author of the Economic Recovery Programme, launched in 1989, which led to high levels of growth during the period 1989-1992; the motivator behind the economic liberalization which transformed an inward-looking economy into a buoyant, market-oriented economy; and he was the visionary behind the environmental protection programme that we now enjoy,” he added.
President Granger, said too, that President Hoyte was one of the earliest world leaders to identify the vital role which small states could play in protecting the world’s environment.
As Guyana embarks on its third economic transformation, Granger said it is his honour to be elected the third PNC Leader and to be President.
President Granger told the gathering that the country’s third economic transformation is witnessing the inexorable transition to becoming a petroleum state, a green state, a digital state and an education nation.
Among those present at the ceremony were President Hoyte’s sister, Gloria Hoyte; Vice President, Khemraj Ramjattan, who is performing the functions of Prime Minister; Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney General, Basil Williams SC; Minister of Public Health and PNCR Chairperson, Volda Lawrence; Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr. George Norton; Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman; Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry; Minister responsible for rural affairs in the Ministry of Agriculture, Valerie Patterson-Yearwood; former Prime Minister Hamilton Green; Stanley Ming; former Minister in the Hugh Desmond Hoyte administration, Vibert Parvattan; and Mayor of the City of Georgetown, Pandit Ubraj Narine.
The ceremony culminated with the laying of floral tributes on the tomb of the late President.
(Extracted and modified from the Ministry of the Presidency)
