THE OFFICIAL public viewing of the body of David Thompson, 48, the youngest Head of Government of the Caribbean region to die in office, began yesterday in Bridgetown at the third oldest Parliament of the 54-member Commonwealth of independent states.
He was the eleventh Caribbean head of government to die in office, the first being Jamaica’s Donald Sangster in 1967.
Since then, other government leaders to depart for the “great beyond” were:
St Kitts and Nevis’ Robert Bradshaw (the oldest at 81) and Paul Southwell; Trinidad and Tobago’s Eric Williams; Dominica’s Rosie Douglas and Pierre Charles (49); Guyana’s Forbes Burnham, Cheddi Jagan, St Lucia’s Sir John Compton and the two former Barbadian leaders to pass away within two years of each other – Tom Adams and Errol Barrow.
The tradition of regional outpouring of condolences – from state level to representative business and civic organisations – with the passing of Heads of Government in office is being admirably maintained while arrangements are being finalised for next Wednesday’s state funeral at the historic Kensington Oval.
Several CARICOM leaders as well as dignitaries from within the greater Caribbean and beyond are expected for the state funeral under the guidance of Minister of Foreign Affairs,? senator Maxine McLean.
On Monday, the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana will open a Book of Condolence to facilitate expressions from the public in general, in addition to representatives of the diplomatic corps and business community The book will close on November 3 to coincide with the official period of mourning that started with Thompson’s death from pancreatic cancer on October 23. As would be expected, with the official period of national mourning over, multiparty governance politics will return with all its diverse trademarks.
The administration of new Prime Minister Freundel Stuart (Thompson’s deputy from the time of the Democratic Labour Party’s electoral victory in January 2008), will be more intensely focused on preparation for of the overdue national budget to be presented by new Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Chris Sinckler.
On the other side, critical and supportive eyes will be following former three-term Prime Minister Owen Arthur in his new role as Opposition Leader.
If Prime Minister Stuart has his political plate full of ponderables that include whether or not to reshuffle the Cabinet inherited from Thompson, or when (not if) to call a snap poll, Arthur, who, recently replaced, by majority vote, Mia Mottley as Opposition Leader, has the upcoming annual conference of the Barbados Labour Party to set some clear political guidelines on the way forward.
I take this opportunity to express deepest sympathy on behalf of myself and family to the widow, children and extended family of the late Prime Minister David Thompson.
• Rickey Singh is a noted Caribbean journalist.
