Barbados News
A Giant Has Fallen! Owen Seymour Arthur dies at the age of 70
BY LA SHAWNA GRIFFITH
On Monday, July 27th, 2020, Barbados went into mourning following the passing of Barbados’s fifth Prime Minister Professor Owen Seymour Arthur.
Arthur completed his formative education at the All Saints Primary School after which he entered the Coleridge and Parry School and then Harrison College. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and History at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus in 1974, and continued his tertiary education at the University of West Indies, Mona Campus where he completed his MSC in Economics.
‘Owen’ as he was affectionately called dedicated his life into active politics following being elected to the Senate of Barbados. This was after successfully winning a bi-election, which made him the representative of his birthplace, St. Peter, a parish that he modernized and redeveloped over his 34 years as the Member of Parliament for the rural parish.
On August 1st, 1993, he became the Leader of the Opposition until February 21st, 2013. One must note that in 2010, after four parliamentary colleagues gave him a vote of confidence, he returned as the leader of the opposition taking the reins from his successor Mia Amor Mottley.
July 25th, 2014 Arthur shocked the entire country of Barbados when he stood in Parliament and declared he would be resigning from the Barbados Labour Party, a party that he toiled for almost four decades. He informed the nation that he would be continuing to serve as the Member of Parliament for St Peter as an independent.
Arthur did not contest the 2018 general elections and gave full support to his successor Colin Jordan as the new Member of Parliament for St Peter, who is also the Minister of Labour and social partnership relations. Following this, he retired from active politics.
January 2020, Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Mottley name Arthur as the Chairman of cash strapped LIAT, a short-lived position due to COVID 19. Arthur and his team advised LIAT be liquidized to pull the regional airline from its accumulating debts.
July 27th, 2020 the heartbreak of a nation could be seen in each half-mast Barbadian flag, and each tear shed by Barbadians as they mourned the loss of their son of the soil who never forgot from whence, he came.
He transitioned to the spiritual realm on July 27th at 12:26 am after entering The Queen Elizabeth Hospital for heart complications. Tributes began to flow for the Former Prime Minister of Barbados from fellow regional Caribbean leaders, as well as the Prime Minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley who described Arthur in an address to the nation as a man who wholeheartedly loved his country.
“When it came to our country Owen defended Barbados with a ferocity that reinforced in many that he understood and accepted that those who went before had set a very high standard or the defense of our country and that he was bound to continue in the same vein.”
Mottley in her speech said Owen Arthur was the first to believe in her when he made her Minister of Education in 1994, after he became the Prime Minister of Barbados, and despite many persons believing that she was too green for the task. “The Owen Arthur that I knew was never overwhelmed by the task at hand. Face it or fix it was his mantra,” she said while adding that Arthur redefined the definition of a politician in the 1990s era.
“Owen from the early 1990s molded a new class of politician in this country and changed in many ways how those representatives would serve the better chances and obligations of a politician as they serve their constituents.”
Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley noted the country would have three days of mourning beginning on July 27th and ending July 30th, 2020. But noted all Barbadian flags will be flown at half-mast until Arthur is interred.
She offered condolences to Arthur’s family and noted he will be awarded a state funeral, and the planning of the state funeral will be done by Arthur’s successor Colin Jordan.
“My friends, our country Barbados is the poorer for his passing. His intellect was larger than life believe you me. His love of country was constant as a northern star. The last title he was bestowed on him was the most fitting, Professor of Practice (from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus) for Owen was first and foremost a teacher.”
Arthur leaves to mourn his wife Julia and his daughters, Sabrina and Leah.