As official reporter and then Hansard Editor in the National Assembly, I was in a position to judge the ability of Members of Parliament. Mr. Hoyte was exceptional. His speeches were always well prepared and one had no doubt about the message that he sought to convey. He was widely respected.

Mr. Hoyte appreciated the work that the Guyana Consumers Association was doing. When the Government placed a ban on importation of many food products, Mr. Hoyte summoned the Executive of the Guyana Consumers Association and sought our support in inducing consumers to accept the ban. The Association appreciated that self-reliance was an acceptable proposition and had no hesitation in acceding to his request. The substitution of local fruits for fruitcakes dates back to that period.

In another instance, Mr. Hoyte demonstrated his belief in the workman's right to be paid. An electrician had done some major work in New Amsterdam and was experiencing great difficulty in receiving payment. He could not pay his creditors and was in financial straits. The electrician came to the Association for assistance and I sought Mr. Hoyte's intervention. Without any questions as to my party affiliation or the electrician's political views, Mr. Hoyte took action and within a few days the man was paid.

When Mr. Hoyte's birthday was celebrated at the Ocean View International Hotel on March 7, last year, I was honoured with an invitation to attend the function and further honoured by being seated at the Head table. It was a memorable evening with beautiful decorations and music that was just right for the occasion. Now, with the passing of Mr. Hoyte, I have greater reason for remembering the occasion.

Mr. Hoyte had great concern for the disadvantaged. He could not desert people who saw themselves as being sidelined and destined, with their children and children's children to be the drawers of water and hewers of wood. He could mix with persons at all levels, which is not an easy thing to do.

Mr. Hoyte was a man of intellect who could hold his own at international forums. He saw that the Constitution under which we presently live is not conducive to peace and harmony. In August last year I sent him a copy of the Swiss Constitution, which I obtained from the Internet. Within days he replied thanking me and saying:

"We have been obtaining copies of the Constitutions of Scandinavian countries which are also quite interesting and I am certain that the Swiss Constitution would be of considerable use in helping us to devise suitable political arrangements."

The Swiss Constitution came to my attention in a book entitled "Problems of Parliamentary Government in Colonies" which is itself a Report prepared by the Hansard Society on some of the problems involved in developing parliamentary institutions in colonial territories.

In this book it is stated that Mr. L. S. Emery had suggested that the Swiss method of an executive elected by the legislative by P.R. might be suitable for some plural societies.

We need to remember that the Swiss have a stable government in spite of being a multiracial society.

The members of PNCR and those others who now mourn the passing of Mr. Hoyte could do no better than seek from his party the gist of his views on the Constitutions that he was studying.