[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 6]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 8348]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 8348]]

          HONORING THE HONORABLE LINDEN FORBES SAMPSON BURNHAM

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EDOLPHUS TOWNS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 16, 2000

  Mr. TOWNS. Mr. Speaker, on this the 34th anniversary of the 
independence of Guyana, I rise to honor the memory and celebrate the 
achievements of the Honorable Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, the former 
President of Guyana, and one of the most charismatic political 
personalities in the Caribbean region and in the Third World community. 
The Hon. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, like his contemporary and 
compatriot, Cheddie Jagan, enjoyed a political career that was unique 
and unparalleled.
  Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham was born on February 20, 1923, in the 
village of Kitty, in the County of Demerara, in the nation of Guyana. 
He was the son of James Burnham, a Headmaster and Rachael Sampson, a 
housewife. From his parents, he inherited a profound love of learning 
and an intimate knowledge of the Bible.
  Forbes Burnham was educated at Queens College in Guyana, London 
University and Gray's Inn in London, England. Upon his return from 
London, he embarked upon a political career that was nothing short of 
remarkable. He was a co-founder of the People's Progressive Party and 
was appointed Minister of Education in the first democratically elected 
government in Guyana. After the split with the People's Progressive 
Party, he founded the People's National Congress and became Leader of 
the Opposition in 1957. In 1966, he became Prime Minister of an 
independent Guyana and, in 1980, became the first President of the 
Republic of Guyana.
  From his early years, Forbes Burnham had exhibited signs of academic 
brilliance. His keen intellect, sharp wit, photographic memory and 
awesome gift of public speaking, made Forbes Burnham a formidable 
political figure in Guyana, in the Caribbean and in the Third World. 
Forbes Burnham was in many respects a larger than life figure--a 
voracious reader of books, a passionate lover of the arts, a 
connoisseur of fine food, exotic wines and expensive cigars. He was in 
many respects the Caribbean Renaissance Man.
  However, Forbes Burnham was more than a Renaissance Man. He was a 
Guyanese nationalist committed to the political and economic 
empowerment of his nation. He remained a dedicated advocate for the 
working class and remained President of the Guyan Labor Union for most 
of his career. He was a passionate supporter of Caribbean integration 
and Third World empowerment. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham remains one 
of the most remarkable political personalities in the history of the 
Caribbean.

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