Latest update September 21st, 2026 2:51 PM
Feb 03, 2019 News
An iconic member of Essequibo Coast and former Member of Parliament, Mr. Isahak Basir, passed away last Friday night at the age of 87. The death of Mr. Basir has left quite a number Essequibians in grief. Most of the mourners will continue to remember him for his remarkable accomplishments.
On Friday, Mr. Basir appeared to be in good health. He was seen interacting with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo during a meeting on the Essequibo Coast. Basir also used the opportun
ity to remind the Prime Minister that he had not received his parliamentary benefits from the government since his retirement.
On the said night Mr. Basir complained of feeling unwell and was rushed to Public Hospital Suddie where he died about 22:00 hrs. It is believed that Basir suffered a heart attack and died.
Basir’s family when contacted, presented a biography, which read, “Born 1931 in Jacklow Pomeroon, he was a boat operator in his teenage years.
“He then studied dentistry from the overseas Bennet College. By profession, he is a farmer who once farmed his father’s coconut estate in the Siriki Sands of the Upper Pomeroon River.
“After marrying Sabra Karim, they moved to Boeraserie, West Coast Demerara where he worked at the Uitvlugt Distillery in the early 1960s as an Assistant Distiller.
After he moved back to Jacklow, he got involved with Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s Party, the People’s Progressive Party. He travelled to Russia and Europe for training and chaperoned young political students.
He also represented his party in various meetings around the world. He was then PPP Organizer for the County of Essequibo.”
In 1975, Basir and his family moved to Hampton Court where he resided up to the time of his death.
An attempt on his life was made at Adventure Stelling on June 26, 1976. He was shot five times; he survived.
During the late 1970s, he joined Parliament as the agriculture shadow minister. In 1991, he was the first and only person to be expelled from parliament for removing the Ceremonial Mace and pelting a drinking glass as protest actions against the speaker.
He was then moved to the position Chairman of Local Congress and Democratic Organs in 1992. He managed 1500 acres of rice lands in the Burma, East Coast Demerara for the Libyan Government.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Sep 21, 2026
IMC Over-40s Cricket World Cup Guyana 2026 (Kaieteur Sports) The Cricket West Indies Masters Association (CWIMA) welcomes The New Doctor’s Clinic as a Bronze Sponsor of the IMC Over-40s Cricket...Sep 21, 2026
(Kaieteur News) There are governments that take a year to get started, governments that take a year to find their feet, and then there is the second Irfaan Ali administration, which seems to have been in office for approximately three years, seven months and a long weekend, even though it has been...Sep 20, 2026
By Sir Ronald Sanders (Kaieteur News) – Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean is no longer only a matter for the police. It is weakening societies, draining economies and obstructing development. It is also testing public confidence in courts, governments and democratic institutions. The...Sep 21, 2026
Kaieteur News – For now, all I have is a handful of questions. I think they have bearing, particularly when the temperature of the local environment is taken. Where did this “visa review” development originate from: official Guyana or the U.S? It has to be one of the two places,...Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: glennlall2000@gmail.com / kaieteurnews@yahoo.com