Friday October 29, 2010
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253 Leave of Absence Friday, October 29, 2010 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Friday, October 29, 2010 The House met at 1.30 p.m. PRAYERS [MR. SPEAKER in the Chair] LEAVE OF ABSENCE Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, I have received communication from the following Members requesting leave of absence from sittings of the House: Hon. Sen. Carolyn Seepersad-Bachan, Member of Parliament for San Fernando West, from today’s sitting of the House; Hon. Jack Warner, Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West, from today’s sitting of the House and Ms. Joanne Thomas, Member of Parliament for St. Ann’s East, from today’s sitting of the House. The leave which these Members seek is granted. CONDOLENCES (DAVID HOWARD THOMPSON QC PRIME MINISTER OF BARBADOS) Mr. Speaker: Hon. Members, we have learnt of the sad passing of the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Barbados, the hon. David John Howard Thompson, on Saturday, October 23, 2010. I now invite hon. Members to pay tribute. I call on the hon. Prime Minister. The Prime Minister (Hon. Kamla Persad-Bissessar): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The hon. David John Howard Thompson belonged to a new era of Caricom leaders. He was born in 1961, at a time when several Caribbean countries were negotiating political independence. David Thompson was destined to be among the second wave of post- colonial regional leaders. Indeed, he was born in the year that Errol Barrow was made Premier of Barbados. Mr. Barrow was later to become Mr. Thompson’s political mentor. On hindsight, it appears as though Mr. Thompson was nurtured for leadership. He honed his intellectual and public speaking capacities at both primary and secondary schools and, indeed, at the University of the West Indies where we were fellow students together in the Faculty of Law. He did this in his native land and bolstered his self- confidence in social consciousness in succeeding years. Even as a young man, he was respected in political activism, political insight and oratory skill and so it was not surprising that he became a leading light of the youth arm of the Democratic Labour Party. 254 Condolences Friday, October 29, 2010 [HON. K. PERSAD-BISSESSAR] Mr. Thompson joined the Cabinet of his country as far back as 1991 and from there he made steady ministerial progress, because of his acclaimed knowledge, commitment to public duty and capacity for hard work. In addition to his ministerial duties, he also served as General Secretary of his party. He served as Opposition Leader, during what has turned out to be a virtual whirlwind political career. He became the sixth Prime Minister of Barbados two years ago at age 46 and he immediately unveiled a vision for meaningful Caribbean unity and effective and sustainable responses to such pressing concerns as drug transshipment, the small arms trade and the cementing of the CSME. David Thompson had begun to emerge as a progressive Caricom leader, a man of the times, a Prime Minister with a purpose. Regrettably, Mr. Thompson was unable to fully deliver on his abundant promise, having been cut down in the prime of life by a deadly disease. Prime Minister Thompson’s premature death is a sad and unjust blow to the Caribbean community, a huge loss to a region affirming its place in a modern, fast, evolving world. All of Trinidad and Tobago mourn the passing of Mr. Thompson. On behalf of the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago, I extend deepest condolences to the Government and people of Barbados and especially to his wife, Mara, and the children. Also, in my capacity as Chairman of the Office of the Commonwealth, I extend, on behalf of the Commonwealth leaders, our condolences to the Government and people of Barbados and to the family of the hon. David Thompson. We assure them all, that, here, the loss is felt as sharply in Port of Spain as in Bridgetown and comfort them with the fact that Prime Minister Thompson’s work would be his timeless legacy. The region is indeed poorer for the passing of Mr. David Thompson. May I say that I had the opportunity to interact with him on a personal level as colleagues in the law faculty and then in Hugh Wooding Law School. Throughout the time that I have known him, as a colleague, a fellow student and then as a fellow lawyer, he was always a person who distinguished himself in community service and in his care and passion for the people. Indeed, the Government and people of Trinidad and Tobago will be represented at the funeral on Wednesday. May his soul rest in peace. I thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Leader of the Opposition (Dr. Keith Rowley): Mr. Speaker, I rise to associate myself, and those of us on this side, with all the sentiments expressed by the hon. Prime Minister, on behalf of the people of Trinidad and Tobago, on this very sad occasion. Unlike the Prime Minister, I did not have a lot of contact with David Thompson. 255 Condolences Friday, October 29, 2010 My contact has been very brief, but, on those fleeting conversations, one could not have but noticed the quiet strength and gentleness of a man who was supremely confident in his ability. Whenever a young person dies, the pain of death becomes even greater to bear. In the case of David Thompson, he held out such great promise for us in the Caribbean; a promise of providing us with Caribbean leadership of a kind that we have become accustomed to, especially from Barbados, that his death came as a shock. Even though we knew that he was facing serious health challenges, we somehow still held out some hope that there would be some form of recovery. That is why his death is so painful to us here in Trinidad and Tobago and, I am sure, far greater for the people of Barbados. Mr. Thompson had indicated in his short career as Leader of Barbados, even while being Opposition Leader, that he stood for all that Caricom represented and that he was an integrationist. He held out that promise of being a leader who could contribute to the progress of all of us here in the region. Mr. Thompson was a lawyer. We tend to associate lawyers with boisterousness. We tend to associate politicians with aggression. David Thompson was none of that. He was, in fact, a gentleman; a very gentle person, big in stature and strong in spirit. On behalf of all of us on this side, we want to say that we feel the pain of the people of Barbados. We would miss him. We feel as though there was a promise of something great to come from this well prepared gentleman, but, at the end of the day, God knows best. We extend our condolences especially to his immediate family, wife and children, and also to his parents who would be feeling a very special pain of having to put away a child. Parents should not have to bury children, but, when it occurs, the pain is doubly strong. From us on this side, the PNM and the Opposition and the people of Trinidad and Tobago, we extend our deepest sympathy to the family, the associates, the people of Barbados and the people of the Caribbean who are now poorer for the passing of one of our gentle sons. Thank you. Mr. Patrick Manning (San Fernando West): Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. I choose to break my parliamentary silence to pay tribute to somebody with whom I have had a very close association, ever since his ascension to the exalted office of Prime Minister of Barbados. I recalled when he was elected to office; the very first country to which he was invited to pay an official visit was, indeed, Trinidad and Tobago. I recalled, in 256 Condolences Friday, October 29, 2010 [MR. MANNING] making preparations for that visit, we held him in such esteem that we thought we would give him the kind of reception the likes of which he will never experience in his life again from any other country. We are certain that we achieved that, even if we did not expect that his experience would have been as short as it has turned out to be. Mr. David Thompson was very easy to get along with. It was very easy. He was very straightforward, not complicated at all; in fact, a pleasure with whom to work. It was always a pleasure for me to be associated with him in the institutions of the Caribbean, where we were closely associated and where we had to discuss a number of issues, in respect of which Barbados held as keen an interest as the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. I have a special sympathy for him also, seeing that he passed away as a result of his exposure to a bout of cancer. As you know, two years ago, I had an exposure to cancer myself. The matter was dealt with expeditiously and I am pleased to say to Members of this honourable House that I am completely recovered from it and I do not expect that it would reoccur. Mr. Thompson was not similarly circumstanced and, therefore, as he passed I know that it is going to be a great loss, not just to his family and his wife to whom we extend our very sincere condolences, but to the people of Barbados. The people of Barbados will experience, on this occasion, a very great loss and we would like them to know, as my leader has said, that they have the sympathy of the people of the PNM and those on this side of the House and, I am sure, the people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago.