Georgetown Mayor Alfred Mentore has proposed naming a city street after former PNCR leader Robert Corbin and establishing an annual youth award in his honour, while pledging to continue his advocacy for local government.
Speaking at a night of reflections at the party’s Congress Place headquarters on Monday, Mentore said he would ask councillors to consider civic initiatives recognising Corbin’s contribution to Georgetown and the wider country.
“Even with the naming of a street after Mr Corbin, it is something that we will do at the level of the council to ensure that we can remember the name Robert Orlando Corbin,” he said.
Mentore also proposed an annual award recognising young people in communities, citing Corbin’s longstanding work with youth. He did not identify a street or outline the proposed award’s criteria.
Corbin, a former Deputy Prime Minister and Opposition Leader, died on October 4 at the age of 78. He led the PNCR from 2003 to 2012, when David Granger succeeded him.
Mentore said that, from his position as mayor, he particularly remembered Corbin as an advocate for local government, local democracy and the authority of councils.
He credited Corbin with helping to shape legislation governing local authorities and their financing, and recalled his insistence that reforms be addressed before local government elections were held.
Mentore argued that, despite legislation becoming law, the government continued to frustrate the council’s access to resources. He pledged that the council would continue pressing for the funding he said it should receive.
“We stand on the shoulder of Mr Corbin over the years because of his advocacy and what he would have done as minister in government and outside of government as leader of the opposition,” Mentore said.
The mayor also urged the party’s leadership and parliamentarians to draw lessons from Corbin’s approach to reform when pursuing changes to electoral arrangements.
Referring to the Guyana Elections Commission, Mentore advocated a new voters’ list and a biometric system, saying Corbin’s experience in pressing for legislative changes could guide current efforts.
“Maybe we need to take a page out of Mr Corbin’s book,” he said.
Mentore encouraged young people to read about Corbin, Forbes Burnham, Ptolemy Reid and other political figures and form their own assessments of their contributions.
“Don’t take people’s word for it. Read into the history of what transpired,” he urged.
His tribute also drew on a personal relationship with the Corbin family. Mentore said he had grown up with Corbin’s children and had come to regard himself as an extended member of the family.
He described Corbin as a man who had served in many capacities and whose influence extended beyond the party to Georgetown and Guyana.
Earlier tributes recalled Corbin’s role in advancing coalition politics. PNCR leader Aubrey Norton credited him with helping bring political forces together through the PNCR’s partnership with One Guyana, the formation of APNU and the eventual APNU+AFC coalition.
Mentore said Corbin should be remembered not simply for the offices he held but for his work and the manner in which he lived, which the mayor described as marked by integrity and transparency.
He extended condolences to Corbin’s wife, Carol, who was present, and the other members of his family.
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