The PNCR has expressed sadness at the death of journalist and commentator Lorimer Edward Joseph Alexander, also known as Lorri Alexander, who passed away on Thursday at the St Joseph Mercy Hospital after a period of illness.
The PNCR said in a press statement that Alexander was “a friend, a member and a supporter of the People’s National Congress Reform at various periods during the past 40 years (and) indeed, he not only enjoyed a close association with the party but more so with its leaders.”
The statement noted that Alexander was one of the early personal assistants to prime minister Forbes Burnham (1967-1970) before he went to live in Jamaica. It said too that he was also a colleague and adviser to the late party leader and president Hugh Desmond Hoyte and the current party leader, Robert Corbin.
And recalling that he was on the party’s list of candidates for the 2006 General Elections, the PNCR attributed this to his close association with the party and his understanding of Guyanese politics and history.
Alexander’s life was a mix of journalism, business and cultural pursuits but he also found time to research his African heritage. Accordingly, the PNCR said, he became founder/president of the National Emanci-pation Trust and hosted several annual “libation” ceremonies to usher in Emancipation Day at the Public Buildings in Georgetown.
He organized several successful Miss Guyana African Heritage Pageants and also established a business in wicker furniture and provided employment opportunities for many young people, both in Jamaica and later in Guyana.
And looking at other facets of Alexander’s life, the PNCR said that Alexander was well versed in the arts and had a thorough understanding of jazz and other musical art forms such as calypso and soca. Moreover, as the owner of the Wig and Gown nightspot in Georgetown, 1969-1972, he encouraged the development of jazz and other forms of music. He also found time to write poetry and to host a popular talk show titled “Guyana the Way Forward-Ting Na Regular”.
The party tendered sincere condolences to his wife, Paula, and his immediate relatives and friends.
