MONDAY 22 FEBRUARY 2021 | ISSUE 194 | WWW.POINTVILLE.AG FOUR COVID-19 DEATHS IN THREE DAYS SEE PAGE 4 Photo caption: Vaccination exercise to move into high gear this week. On Saturday, parliamentarians, top sports personalities and ancillary staff received their jabs at the Parliament Building. Editorial: Biography of the Honourable Lester Bryant Bird Page 2 MONDAY, 22 FEBRUARY, 2021 EDITORIAL PAGE 2 GUEST EDITORIAL BIOGRAPHY OF THE HONOURABLE LESTER BRYANT BIRD On Sunday 21st February, National Hero Sir Lester Bird celebrated his eighty-third birthday. In recognition, thereof, PointeXpress is pleased to present a brief biography of his distinguished career. Lester Bryant Bird was a student of distinction, a wall Bird as Prime Minister of Antigua & Barbuda, world class athlete, an excellent cricketer, an ac- and served in that capacity for another ten years, complished golfer, an outstanding lawyer and a re- (1994 – 2004). He also served as Leader of the Op- vered and well-loved politician. position in Parliament from 2009 -2012. He represented Antigua and Barbuda on its na- tional cricket team at the age of eighteen years and he also was selected to play for the Leeward Building the Country: Shaping the Nation Islands Cricket Team. He represented the West In- The Honourable Lester Bird’s vision created mod- dies Federation as an athlete in the Pan Ameri- ern Antigua & Barbuda, providing better quality can Games of 1958, and was a bronze medalist in jobs, improved living standards and higher educa- the long jump competition. He gained an athletic tion for a large number of people in our society. scholarship to the University of Michigan in 1958, His work fashioned the post-colonial economy of and from the onset won most of his competitions Antigua and Barbuda, transforming it from its de- with relative ease. To highlight a few, he won many pendence on sugar and cotton that were irretriev- of the Ohio relays, many of the Texas relays and ably in decline. the Pennsylvania relays, for three consecutive years. Thus, between 1958 and 1961 Lester Bryant Bird had It was the Honourable Lester Bird who was re- arguably developed an undefeated and decorated sponsible for:- track and field career. A gold medalist in long jump, • Invigorating Tourism throughout the late Big Ten Champion, NCAA Medalist, an All American, 1980’s and 1990’s, attracting Large-scale Investment and the distinct honour of admission to the Honor- in hotels and expanding the VC Bird International ary Fraternity of Sphinx for his outstanding all round Airport performance are but a few of the accolades gained • Establishing the foundation for the major ex- by Lester Bird as an athlete, whilst at the university. pansion of land-based and Cruise Ship Tourism that After successfully pursuing a law degree, he was provided hundreds of jobs and commercial oppor- called to the English Bar at Grays Inn, London, in tunities for men and women throughout the society 1969. On his return to Antigua, this talented, skillful • Building the Hospitality Institute to qualify a wide young lawyer had a very successful law practice, cross section of people for better-paid jobs within representing many clients; and quite a large number the tourism industry pro bono. The Antigua Labour Party (ALP) was also • Introducing the services industry (beyond tour- a great beneficiary of his law career. ism) such as Offshore Banking, Financial Services In 1971 he entered the political arena, for a seat and Internet Gaming into the economy in the Parliament of Antigua & Barbuda on an ALP • Modernizing St. John’s by facilitating the con- ticket. He was made a Senator and sharpened his struction of Redcliffe Quay and Heritage Quay political skills on the Opposition Benches in the • Pioneering education and training in informa- Parliament during the period 1971 – 1976. He was tion technology through the Antigua & Barbuda undoubtedly the preferred candidate for the con- Institute of Technology to make young people in stituency of St. John’s Rural East in 1976, and was Antigua and Barbuda competitive in the global ICT re-elected for the next five (5) consecutive gener- community al elections. He lost his seat in 2004, but quick- • Instituting an Economic Programme that raised ly regained it, being re-elected in 2009, and was the standard of living of all in the society through re-elected even more overwhelmingly in the recent low taxes, high investment, and job creation elections in 2014. He also served as the Political • The construction of a modern Hospital at Mount Leader of the ALP for an unbroken period of eigh- St. John to give quality healthcare to the people of teen years, from 1994 until 2012. our society In 1994, he succeeded the Honourable Vere Corn- • Educating more Antiguans and Barbudans at Ter- cont’d on pg 3 PAGE 3 LOCAL NEWS MONDAY, 22 FEBRUARY, 2021 cont’d from pg 2 tiary Level – a pattern which has continued based won at the WTO in March 2004, and it has been a on the pillars that were laid throughout the 1980’s disappointment to him to witness the unfair handling up to 2004 of the judgement received by the US • Introducing the “Land for Youth” scheme which gave young people a piece of the rock and empow- ered many of them to progress Building St. John’s Rural East • Placing more Women in Positions of Authority 2009 – 2018 than at any time in the country’s history as Per- 1976 – 2004 manent Secretaries, Heads of Tourism Departments, Over the years that the Honourable Lester Bird Senators and Law Officers represented the people of St John’s Rural East, he • Creating the ONDCP to ensure that money laun- was concerned about raising the standard of living dering and the illicit drug trade were not a part of in the area, providing for the needs of young peo- the Antiguan economy. ple, and building the infrastructure of the area. He Carving a place of pride for Antigua & Barbuda was also keen to ensure that people in the constit- in Regional and International Affairs uency had jobs and could maintain themselves and The Honourable Lester Bird also gave Antigua and their families financially. Barbuda a place of respect in Regional and Inter- He organized for: national affairs that continues to resonate today. His • Constituents to buy lands contribution in this regard, spans over 28 years. • Constituents to build homes • He was one of the Caribbean’s most effective • Roads to be repaired and improved spokespersons on the international scene • Sidewalks to be constructed • He was a strong and impressive advocate of • Sports facilities to be built for young people Antigua and Barbuda in the regional and interna- (JCSC Basketball Court, and the Cricketing Facility tional fora at the UN, the Commonwealth, the OAS, next to the Clare Hall School) CARICOM and the OECS • Computer classes and after school lessons to be • He was one of the architects of the Eastern given within the community Caribbean Central Bank and the retention of the • Commercial businesses to be established in the Eastern Caribbean Currency (now the strongest in constituency to ensure employment and develop- the Caribbean) ment in the area • He was also one of the architects of the Organi- zation of Eastern Caribbean States(OECS) What must be underscored is that the Honourable • Under his Chairmanship of CARICOM, the Carib- Lester Bird’s many economic innovations and policy bean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM), now choices placed Antigua and Barbuda in an enviably the Office of Trade Negotiations, was created to high position on the United Nations Human Devel- strengthen the negotiating capacity of all CARICOM opment Index. countries He brought “an element of experience which is • As Prime Minister, he supervised the construction unique in Antigua and Barbuda – a former Prime of the laws, regulation and enforcement agencies Minister during ten years of steady growth that under which the International Financial Action Task placed the country well ahead of its OECS coun- Force against drug trafficking and money launder- terparts and a former foreign minister and tourism ing and the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force minister with more than twenty years of experience found Antigua and Barbuda’s banking system and in hands-on management of the country’s interna- regulatory machinery in full conformity with the best tional affairs and its most important industry. He international standards was also known for his oratorical skills – and spoke • He was the first Representative of the Leeward with an eloquence that commanded the attention of Islands on the West Indies Cricket Board, and he his audiences at home, regionally and international- had a strong voice in the selection of Clive Lloyd as ly. During his tenure, he created an atmosphere of the Captain of the West Indies Cricket Team continuous nurturing and improvement, underpinned • He was also selected by CARICOM as the first and sustained by his creed of excellence and a Chairman of the Ministerial Sub-committee responsi- natural long-term vision for an educated, informed, ble for West Indies Cricket productive and most importantly, a proud nation of • Fearless, in his defence of the people of Antigua Antigua & Barbuda.” and Barbuda, it was the Honourable Lester Bird, as Prime Minister, who instructed that the government Information courtesy: takes the US to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Maurice Merchant over the jobs of local people in the Internet Gaming Director General of Communications Industry. It was under his watch that the case was Government of Antigua and Barbuda MONDAY, 22 FEBRUARY, 2021 LOCAL NEWS PAGE 4 Four COVID-19 deaths in three days There have been four Then later Saturday night COVID-19-related deaths at about 11:45, the hospital at the Mount St John’s Med- confirmed the third death ical Centre (MSJMC) over in a single day: a female a three-day period.