Musical tributes, heroes roll call at Tim Hector’s funeral

ST JOHN’S — Musical tributes, a roll call of “heroes of the world” and “family reflections” by three of his children were highlights of yesterday’s funeral of the well-known Caribbean nationalist, political activist, journalist and cricket commentator — Leonard Tim Hector.

The unique public funeral, accorded official status by the Antigua and Barbuda Government, took place at the Antigua Recreational Ground with tributes being paid by Prime Minister Lester Bird and his Vincentian counterpart, Ralph Gonsalves.

As the nation’s flag fluttered at half-mast, political and cultural colleagues of Hector, who died last week in hospital following a second heart surgery, joined Antiguans of all walks of life in paying their final respects to an outstanding son of the Caribbean.

Long-standing ‘comrades’ of the region, dating back to radical and left-wing politics of the 1970s, among them Prime Minister Gonsalves and the former foreign minister of St Lucia George Odlum, were there to sing his praise as one who struggled relentlessly against colonialism, racism, discrimination and in defence of the Caribbean’s sovereignty and cultural aspirations.

There was a rendition of South Africa’s national anthem by the Anglican Youth Choir of Antigua and Barbuda and the reading of a roll call of ‘heroes of the world’, among them Nelson Mandela and Fidel Castro, by Dr James Knight of the Antigua-Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM) of which Hector was a founder-leader.

As agreed with his family and colleagues of the ACLM and the bi-weekly Outlet newspaper — through which he had crusaded for regional economic and political integration and against public corruption at home and abroad — there was no public viewing of Hector’s body.

Organised as a “celebration of the life of Brother Tim Hector”, opening remarks and prayers were first offered by Roman Catholic Bishop Donald Reece followed by the signing by those in attendance of Lift Every Voice.

“Family reflections” on the life and times of Hector were done by three of his children, son Carlyl and daughters Indira and Kristy.

In addition to the tributes paid by prime ministers Bird and Gonsalves, the St Lucian politician Odlum and West Indian cricket personality Andy Roberts, the popular Antiguan calypsonian ‘Short Shirt’ sang his tribute with calypsos before George Goodwin of the ACLM delivered the eulogy.

Sharpen protest tools, says Panday

PORT-OF-SPAIN — Leader of the opposition United National Congress and former prime minister Basdeo Panday, has called on his supporters to “sharpen your tools of struggle” to ensure that the governing People’s National Movement cooperates with the “other half of the electorate” for governance.

Panday, who made his first court appearance yesterday in connection with his failure to disclose a London bank account he shared with his wife Oma, said that “no government can survive without the cooperation of such a large section of the people”.

He was at the time addressing a special general membership meeting of the UNC at Rienzi Complex in Couva Monday when he accused the PNM administration of Prime Minister Patrick Manning of putting “bad johns” in charge of the state-run Unemployment Relief Programme (URP).

Panday also criticised UNC elements who were talking in terms of reconciliation with former attorney-general and deputy party leader Ramesh Maharaj who now leads the minority Team Unity party that did not contest last month’s general election after failing to win any seat at the December 2001 poll.

He said it was people like Maharaj and others (a reference to two former party stalwarts) who were “responsible for the UNC now being in opposition”.

For his part, Maharaj is canvassing support among UNC elements for an alliance against the PNM for the upcoming local government election.

Picking a Caricom judge for ICC

BRIDGETOWN — The Barbados Daily Nation has raised the issue of “consensus” in the selection of a judge to serve on the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Commenting editorially yesterday on Trinidad and Tobago’s decision to offer former attorney-general Karl Hudson-Phillips as a candidate to serve as a judge of the ICC, the newspaper, discussing the issue under the title “Picking of a CARICOM judge for the ICC”, noted:

“Hudson-Phillips is a former attorney-general of Trinidad and Tobago who has distinguished himself as one of the leading senior counsel within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).

“What is of immediate relevance,” said the Nation “is whether Trinidad and Tobago has engaged in prior consultation with the rest of its CARICOM partners to secure their endorsement for its candidate”.

The newspapers said if that has been done and “there is a consensus among CARICOM states”, then it would make a lot of sense for Hudson-Phillips to be formally presented this evening at the current Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference in St Vincent and the Grenadines as Trinidad and Tobago’s judge candidate for the ICC.

Attorney-General of Trinidad and Tobago, Glenda Morean, is scheduled to formally introduce Hudson-Phillips at a reception this evening in Kingstown for participants of the Commonwealth Law Ministers Conference with a view to garnering wide support among the 54-nation Commonwealth for his proposed ICC appointment.

The Daily Nation said that if there is not a Caricom consensus on Hudson-Phillips then, “given the reality of the availability of some quite distinguished legal luminaries in other CARICOM countries”, this evening’s introduction of the former AG “could be counter-productive.

“It is doubtful,” said the paper, “that this region would be facilitated with more than one judge on the ICC”.

It noted that there has been no official indication of Caricom seeking to have a single judge candidate for the ICC up to the time of last week’s meeting in Barbados of the Caricom Bureau, which is the management committee of the Community in between meetings of the Heads of Government.