Former Guyana President Arthur Chung dies at 90

Arthur Raymond Chung, the first President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, died at his home in Bel Air Springs, Greater Georgetown, on Tuesday, June 24. He was 90.

Arthur Chung was sworn in as President on March 17, 1970, at Parliament Buildings in Georgetown. He was a ceremonial President, with executive powers in the hands of then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham.

Arthur Chung held this position until October 6, 1980, when a new constitution made way for Mr. Burnham to become Executive President.

President Arthur Chung delivered his inaugural address from the balcony of Parliament Buildings soon after his swearing-in, as hundreds of Guyanese crowding the street outside cheered wildly.

In his address, he called on Guyanese to stop quarrelling among themselves, and to get on with the task of developing the resources of the country to the advantage of everyone.

"Our survival as a nation will depend on how well we work together," he told the cheering crowd.

Earlier, as an Austin Princess with him and his wife swept into the Parliament Buildings forecourt, the crowd broke into loud applause as they got out of the car, and he raised both hands and clasped them, acknowledging the greeting from those on the street.

At his first public engagement, just four days into his presidency, he delivered a speech at the Annual General Meeting of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce.

"It is my view that the private sector should aim at greater all-round productivity in those areas in which there is present involvement," he told the businessmen.

"It must extend production to include such commodities as would further promote the national program of import substitution."

Throughout his presidency, Arthur Chung continued to keep his finger on the pulse of the national drive, promoting the forging of a state in which everyone benefited from a comfortable standard of living.

He often referred to his humble beginnings, in a home where there was not always enough on the dining table.

Arthur Chung was born on January 10, 1918, at Windsor Forest on the West Coast of Demerara.

He was the last of eight children born to his parents.

He attended Windsor Forest and Blankenburg Primary Schools, then he went to Mr. J. I. Ramphal’s Modern High School.

He graduated from Modern High in 1938, and joined the staff of the Lands and Mines Department as an apprentice surveyor.

In 1940, he qualified as a Sworn Land Surveyor, and then joined the staff of the Public Works Department where he stayed for six months. He was then recalled by the Lands and Mines Department to work as an Assistant Hydrographic Surveyor with the Demerara River Navigation Development Project which was at the time involved in dredging the Demerara River.

In May, 1945, after the Second World War, he left British Guiana to enter the Middle Temple of London.

In 1947 he qualified as a barrister. He then worked as Assistant Legal Examiner with the British Civil Service, later joining the chambers of British lawyer Maurice Shear. In October, 1948, Arthur Chung returned to British Guiana when he joined the local bar and practiced as a lawyer.

In 1953, Arthur Chung was appointed acting magistrate to serve in the West Demerara and Essequibo Judicial Districts. In 1954 his appointment was confirmed, and he now had to serve in the Georgetown and Berbice Judicial Districts.

In 1954, Arthur Chung married Doreen Pamela Aun, also from Windsor Forest.

Two children came from the union, Diane Pamela and Raymond Arthur.

In 1961, Mr. Chung left the Magistrate’s Court and went to work as Registrar at the Supreme Court. The following year, he was called to act as a judge in the Supreme Court.

In 1963, his position as a judge was confirmed.

He once created history when he broke a 78-year-old practice by ruling that the Director of Public Prosecutions had no jurisdiction to compel a magistrate to convict a person.

His last case was the Rupununi murder trial which arose from the attempted secession in January, 1969.