Former Ministry of Finance’s Chief Planning Officer, Clyde Roopchand passed away in New York on Wednesday.
He was 70 years old.
Roopchand served for many years in the State Planning Secretariat and the Ministry of Finance.
In a statement yesterday, President David Granger expressed condolences to the wife and relatives of Roopchand.
Former President Donald Ramotar, who along with working with Roopchand was also his friend, praised him.
“I worked with him and enjoyed working with him. He was extremely knowledgeable and a resource- oriented person. There were many, many projects he helped to advance in this country. He will be missed tremendously but his family and friends can be consoled that he made a sterling contribution to Guyana,” he told Stabroek News.
“He was friendly, approachable, down-to-earth and he had friends from all strata but I must say he was very aggressive when it came to his work. Many of the public servants that passed through his hand benefited from his tutelage,” he added.
In a statement last night, former President and Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo said:
“It is with deep regret and sadness that I received the news of the passing of Clyde Roopchand. I have known Clyde for a long time dating back to my early days as an economist in the State Planning Secretariat. He served as Chief Planning Officer of Guyana and did so with distinction. His commitment to National Development was unquestionable and his service to our people was selfless and exemplary.
“During the period I served as Minister of Finance and President he held numerous posts including Director of the CDB, alternate Governor of the CDB, Guyana’s representative to the Board of Governors meetings of the IDB and IMF, Chairman of the GRA Board among numerous other regional and international posts. His institutional knowledge and immense experience are a great loss to our country. He guided the process of preparing the Capital budget and Public Sector Investment Programme.
“His work in following up the implementation of numerous decisions made on cabinet outreaches and the key role he played in the implementation of various development initiatives in the Regions brought him close to many people who live in those areas. Clyde Roopchand’s contributions to Guyana spanned many decades serving every government and President in our post independence history. He was an outstanding Public Servant.”
