President Granger hails Hoyte as true patriot

Gloria Hoyte (left) , sister of the late President Desmond Hoyte being assisted by Minister of Public Health and PNCR Chairperson, Volda Lawrence during the Commemorative Ceremony. (Ministry of the Presidency photo)

President David Granger yesterday hailed the late President Desmond Hoyte as a true patriot, whose policies laid a firm foundation for sustained economic growth and environmental stewardship in Guyana.

He was at the time speaking at the Commemorative Ceremony for the 17th Death Anniversary of the president at the Mausoleum, Place of Heroes in the Botanical Gardens, where relatives and friends were gathered. In his address, Granger said that Hoyte, who was the second leader of the People’s National Congress and the country’s second executive president, led the country’s second economic transformation between 1985 and 1992, a statement from the Ministry of the Presidency said.

“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 liberalisation 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,” Granger was quoted as saying.