The funeral of Antigua national hero and former Prime Minister Sir Lester Bird, whose contribution to regional development was on Wednesday hailed by the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), is to be held on August 26 which will also be a national holiday.
There will also be three days of official mourning from August 24-26, during which time Sir Lester’s body will lie in state.
“Sir Lester’s body will lie in state in the Parliament on the first day, allowing everyone an opportunity to pay their last respects,” a Cabinet statement said.
“On the second day, his body will lie at 46 North Street, the home of the Antigua and Barbuda Trades and Labour Union, from which institution sprang the ABLP [Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party] which he led for more than one decade. On the third day, August 26, an official holiday will be declared, allowing all to attend the State Funeral which will be held at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.”
Sir Lester’s remains will be buried alongside his mother’s, Lady Lydia Bryant-Bird, in the public cemetery.
Cabinet announced that posthumous tribute and other honours will be bestowed on the late statesman. They include a monument to be constructed at the National Heroes Cemetery which will commemorate his life and legacy. In addition, a special, joint Parliamentary Session to honour him will convene on August 17.
All flags on government buildings will continue to be flown at half-mast until the end of his funeral.
Sir Lester, the country’s second prime minister, died on August 9 at the age of 83. Tributes have flowed from across the nation, the region and beyond.
In a statement expressing deepest sympathies to the government and people of the twin-island nation on Wednesday, CARICOM said Sir Lester’s contribution to the development of the regional grouping as well as the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and his country was “immense”.
“His vision was instrumental in building Antigua and Barbuda into one of the premier tourism destinations in the world. His efforts at diversification of the economy led to his country’s involvement in the financial services sector,” it said.
“His commitment to regional integration ensured that Antigua and Barbuda was at the forefront of the establishment of the OECS and he became the first Chairman of the organization, despite not being Prime Minister at the time. This was an acknowledgment by all concerned of the contribution he had made to its establishment.”
During Sir Lester’s chairmanship of CARICOM, the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), now the Office of Trade Negotiations, was created to strengthen the negotiating capacity of all CARICOM countries at a time when the region was involved in several trade negotiations simultaneously, CARICOM noted. It was also under Sir Lester’s Chairmanship in 1997 that the first Protocols leading to the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas were signed, as well as the Charter of Civil Society.
Sir Lester’s life outside politics was also recognized by the regional body.
CARICOM noted that he was also an avid sportsman, representing his country and the Leeward Islands at cricket, and making his international mark as a long jumper when he won a bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games while competing for the British West Indies.
He was also selected for the only ever West Indies team that participated in an Olympic Games which was held in Rome in 1960, but had to withdraw due to injury.
“Sir Lester Bird was a man of many parts whose enduring commitment to his country and his region redounded to their benefit. CARICOM salutes Sir Lester Bryant Bird. The Community extends its condolences to the family of Sir Lester and to the Government and People of Antigua and Barbuda on the loss of this illustrious son of the soil,” the CARICOM statement ended.
CMC
