Veteran journalist and television personality, Clem David, 63, died on Thursday night at his Eccles, East Bank Demerara home following a prolonged heart condition. He was 63 years old.
His wife, Charmaine David, told Stabroek News yesterday that her husband died in his bed around 9:30 pm on Thursday. “He was ailing for quite some time,” Charmaine said. Despite this, she said, his death still came as a shock. The two had been together for 20 years. He was the father of five children.
The woman remembered her late husband as someone who was always willing to assist persons. “He was a kind and helpful person and he helped financially but [he] was also like a lawyer because he always gave advice to people.”
David had a long career in journalism and worked at the Guyana Chronicle and the then Guyana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). He was a household name as his voice was well known on radio and television and more recently he hosted the popular ‘Sunrise Show’ on CNS Channel 6. While airing this programme, he made a perennial promise to “call names tomorrow” whenever he spoke about wrongdoings in public offices.
The Guyana Press Association (GPA) expressed its deep sadness at David’s passing. It said in a statement: “Mr David will be remembered for his sterling contribution over the years towards the Guyana landscape as a journalist and broadcaster. His voice for many years woke us up and in some cases was the last voice we heard before we went to sleep.
“As a journalist and News Editor he was never afraid to investigate further to get the bottom of a story and reminded local journalists throughout his professional life that they were the voice of the people and ought to take that job seriously.”
The GPA noted that David would often guide young reporters about their writing style and enunciation and pronunciation and encouraged many of them to stick to the facts and seek out the truth. “He personally was never discouraged by the barbs thrown at him during his career as a journalist,” it said.
“I admired his tenacity for news and his eagerness to be innovative,” said Margaret Lawrence, a former colleague of David. Lawrence said she met David in 1982 when she joined GBC. Lawrence joined the Programming Department while David was in the newsroom. “We complemented each other’s work as his was an integral part of programming,” she said. “Our interaction was mostly harmonious and we respected each other’s professionalism… I regarded him as my senior in the field,” Lawrence said. “He was never timid to be constructively critical or share praises to his colleagues.”
David, Lawrence added, was also valued as an announcer and he hosted several programmes, including Action Line and did several outside broadcasts.
According to Lawrence, she and David were in constant communication after he left GBC. She said he was keen on returning to host The Sunrise Show. “I deeply regret that he did not get his final wish,” she said.
David also served as Editor-in-Chief of The Evening News at VCT 28.
David was also involved in politics and was once the prime ministerial candidate for the Justice For All Party (JFAP). Party leader Chandra Narine Sharma told Stabroek News he was saddened to hear about David’s death. He described David as a good friend, adding that he would be surely missed. In a subsequent statement, Sharma noted that David had also spent some time working in the Office of the Prime Minister, during the tenure of Hamilton Green.
The statement noted that after the PPP/C won the 1992 elections in Guyana and David was no longer allowed to work in the state media, he turned his attention to television and hosted ‘The Sunrise Show’ on CNS TV Channel 6.
Up to 2009 David was the JFAP’s councillor in Region Four and had supported Regional Chairman Clement Corlette’s fight with the regional administration over its decision not to place advertisements in this newspaper during the government ban on Stabroek News. David at the time had noted that he had been in the media for 37 years and said that the Region Four RDC could not have the government continuing a ban on “our best newspaper. We must advertise in it. I agree.”
He said it took courage to take a position on an issue, which was largely undemocratic, but had the blessing of the administration.
When Stabroek News contacted Corlette yesterday morning, he described the late councillor as a “very pleasant person” who had a passion for seeing the RDCs function independently from the Central Government. According to Corlette, while the Region Four RDC benefited from David’s input, he had to be relieved of his position in 2009 since he was unable to attend meetings due to poor health.
