MR . DAVID De Groot, member of the Board of Directors of the Guyana National Newspapers Ltd, died early yesterday at the Balwant Singh Hospital, on East Street here in the city, following a period of illness. He was 76.He was a member of the GNNL Board of Directors since 2001, served under three Chairmen, and is recognized for making a significant contribution to the enhancement of the entity, through his visionary ideas, wise counsel and timely advice. He remained in active service up to the time of his death.

De Groot was also past Chairman of the President College’s Board of Directors and the Guyana Broadcasting Corporation’s Board of Directors.

With a passion for journalism, he contributed scholarly pieces to the Guyana Chronicle along with the late John Da Silva, and independently, through his column, ‘Commentary’, which was also carried in the Weekend Mirror. He will also be remembered for the programme ‘Radio Review’, which he hosted on the GBC during the 1990s.
DeGroot was an accomplished individual and a nationalist who had the country at heart. He saw the development of his country as second to none, and was always willing to go the extra mile to get the job done.
In the 1980s, De Groot was appointed a minister of government under the Burnham administration. But in later years, he adapted to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), and in time became a strong supporter and remained committed to the time of his demise.
He was a firm disciplinarian, and always aimed for the highest standards. He vehemently criticised ‘violence in the country’, and in one of his commentaries in the Guyana Chronicle (February 3, 2014) affirmed: “Violence in the country is a national disgrace, and the priority concern of all right-thinking Guyanese,” declaring that the time is long past for drastic measures to be put in place to arrest the prevalent use of weapons in the perpetration of violent crimes.
He listed as a most frightening development, “the apparent easy access to weapons by all ages of criminals desirous of owning such,” and questioned what is being done by the authorities to confront and deal with this deadly threat to the society at large?
De Groot will surely be missed by those whose lives he touched in diverse ways. He leaves to mourn his wife, Mrs. David De Groot, several children and other relatives and friends.