Everything about Vere Cornwall Bird totally explained
Sir Vere Cornwall Bird (
December 7,
1910,
St John's,
Antigua–
June 28,
1999, St John's) was the first Prime Minister of
Antigua and Barbuda. His son,
Lester Bird, succeeded him as Prime Minister. In 1994 he was declared a national hero.
Bird was unique from other West Indian politicians, lacking in any formal education except primary schooling. He worked in the
Salvation Army for 2 years interspersing his interests in trade unionism and politics. In
1943, he became the president of the
Antigua Trades and Labour Union. He achieved national acclaim politically for the first time when he was elected to the colonial legislature in
1945. He formed the
Antigua Labour Party and became the first and only chief minister, first and last premier, and first prime minister from
1981 to
1994. His resignation was due to failing health and internal issues within the government.
In
1985 Antigua's international airport was renamed
VC Bird International Airport in his honour.
Criticism and praise
The biggest criticism from the public of Antigua is the corruption and cronyism within the Labour Party and many claim the government is essentially a "family business" with the continuance of the Bird dynasty in control of political power as unquestioned. Bird's supporters reject these accusations and say that his actions were justified in order to throw off the institution of colonial sugar planters and the British colonial overlords. The Antiguan author
Jamaica Kincaid compared the Bird government to the
François Duvalier dictatorship in
Haiti in her politically charged narrative
A Small Place.
Further Information
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