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| Harold St. John (Photo Courtesy Barbados Nation Newspaper) |
Basseterre, St. Kitts (March 4th 2004) – St. Kitts and Nevis has expressed sadness at the recent death of former Prime Minister of Barbados, Sir Harold St. John who died last Sunday night.
In a message of condolence to Barbados’ Prime Minister the Right Hon. Owen Arthur, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Dr. the Hon. Denzil L. Douglas described Sir Harold as “an honourable friend, colleague and political stalwart” in the Caribbean.
“During his lifetime, Sir Harold St. John was committed to Caribbean integration. The contributions he made to the political and economic development of Barbados did not go unnoticed, but it is his legacy and outstanding record of integrity that will perpetuate for a long time,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
The funeral service for Sir Harold St John will be held on Monday at 3 p.m. at Christ Church Parish Church.
His body will lie in State in the Barbados Parliament on Thursday and Friday.
According to the Barbados Nation newspaper, Sir Harold, 72, died at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where he was surrounded by family and friends after he was admitted last Wednesday, in the final stages of a long battle with cancer.
Born August 16, 1931, Sir Harold served as Prime Minister from March 1985, at the sudden death of Prime Minister J.M.G.M. “Tom” Adams, until May 1986, when his Barbados Labour Party (BLP) lost the general election.
Barbados’ third and shortest-serving prime minister, Sir Harold had 37 distinguished years of public life. He entered local government politics in 1966 and retired as MP for Christ Church South when the life of the last House of Assembly ended in 2003.
In that period he served as everything from chairman of the Southern District Council to senator, backbencher, opposition member, Cabinet minister and prime minister. He was knighted in November 1994 in an historic and ironic moment when Governor-General Dame Nita Barrow, sister of his foremost political opponent Errol Barrow, dubbed him “Sir Harold.”
Sir Harold never concealed his passion for public life and though twice defeated at the polls – in 1971 and 1986 – he returned on both occasions to regain his political glory.
He joined the BLP as a young lieutenant of the then aging Sir Grantley Adams when that party was in the doldrums at the height of the power of His Excellency Errol Barrow.
He cut his teeth in the pre-Independence debate as member of the Under-40s team of young men from all political persuasions who fought resolutely for a federation of the West Indies.
Sir Harold was a Queen’s Counsel and a former footballer who chose a political career and was an unapologetic federalist.
He worked for Barbados up to the end. His unfinished tasks included the troubled fishing negotiations with Trinidad and Tobago and the building of the new Hilton Hotel, which he visited ten days ago. He was leader of the Barbados negotiations with Trinidad and Tobago and Chairman of the Needhams Point Development Corporation.
