CDB remembers Owen Arthur as “steadfast” defender of Caribbean regionalism

The Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has paid tribute to the late former Barbadian Prime Minister Owen Arthur, labelling him a passionate defender of matters in the Caribbean region.

CDB President, Dr Warren Smith reflected on the humble beginnings of the Caribbean leader, who rose to be a “titan” of Barbadian politics, becoming the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister while guiding the island through a period of unprecedented growth.
“Beyond Barbados, he wrote his name on history’s page in the annals of the Caribbean for, if there was one thing, we knew for sure about Professor Arthur, it was that he was a steadfast and passionate defender of Caribbean regionalism,” Dr Smith penned.
Along with his dedication in the political arena, he contributed capital to the advancement of regional integration. This commitment, the CDB President noted, should cement the name of Owen Arthur as an instrumental foundation to the advancement of the Region, especially in the establishment of the Caricom Single Market and Economy with the signing of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas in 2001.

“At times, when it seemed that progress and will stagnated, Professor Arthur rekindled the fire of regionalism with his intellectual ferment. For him, regional integration was a pathway to sustainable development,” Dr Smith said.
At the CDB, Arthur served as a long-time Governor, resolutely ensuring that the Bank “held fast” to its “mandate to support regional development and mindful” of the task to build economic and social resilience of the Small Developing States that comprise its membership.
Dr Smith went on to say, “The agenda for the advancement of the cause of Small Developing States today very much bears his footprint. Twenty years ago, he boldly set out the twin challenges facing small developing economies of the Region, namely volatility and vulnerability, and dared the international community to embrace ‘unorthodox’ responses to their resolution.”
In a long, noteworthy career, he served as a lecturer at the University of the West Indies in his early days and most recently, as a Professor of Practice in the Economics of Development, imparting his immense knowledge to the younger generation.
“Of course, there was also his abiding regional passion – West Indies cricket. From his first attendance at a Test match — the West Indies versus Pakistan at Kensington Oval in 1958, his zeal for West Indies cricket was never in doubt, with the former Prime Minister himself stating that when he was a boy, he would have preferred to become a West Indies cricketer than a Prime Minister,” Dr Smith related.
The CDB recognised that the former PM never gave up on the vision of an integrated Caribbean, despite the frequent delays in meeting the objectives. He remained until the end a loyal public servant, both to Barbados and the Caribbean at large, taking on several challenging assignments.
“As we mourn his passing, we celebrate his legacy, and as the Region’s development institution, pledge to continue the work of deepening and widening regional cooperation and integration.”
A few hours after Arthur passed, tributes poured in throughout the Region, even from caretaker President David Granger, who expressed sadness.
But one of Arthur’s last acts in public life, witnessed by the world, was standing up against Granger’s Government and its intimidatory tactics against the elder statesman and his peers while he was in Guyana as Head of the Commonwealth elections observer team.