It has been 30 years since the death of Guyana’s first Prime Minister and first Executive President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. President Burnham died at the tender age of 62 at around 10:45 am on August 06, 1985 at the Georgetown Public hospital.
President Burnham had earlier entered the hospital for surgery but suffered a heart attack during the procedure.
To some, President Burnham was a controversial figure but he played significant leadership roles in world politics. He was a vocal champion of the antiapartheid movement across Africa and was a key player in the creation of CARICOM.
President Burnham’s leadership legacy still captivates the political discourse even thirty years after his death. Much of his doctrine of self-sufficiency and “buy-local” can be heard in conversations of many of the leaders of “first-world” nations.
After President Burnham’s death, Desmond Hugh Hoyte then became President and ruled until 1992 when the PPP won at the general elections.
The PPP ruled for the next 23 years and lost the 2015 general elections to a multi-party coalition consisting of the APNU, AFC and several others.
