BRIDGETOWN
-- Sir Shridath Ramphal, long hailed as an "elder
statesman of the Caribbean", has finally settled into
permanent residence in Barbados which he had identified for his
retiring years way back in 1975.
As
he was leaving his native Guyana in 1975 to become Secretary
General of the Commonwealth, the former Attorney General and
Foreign Minister in the then Forbes Burnham government, was
encouraged by Barbados' then Foreign Minister and Attorney
General, now Sir Henry Forde, to purchase a spot of land and think
of living, eventually in this country.
Now
77, and having distinguished himself and the Caribbean at many
international fora, the former Chancellor of the University of the
West Indies -- a post he held for 14 years -- and Chairman of the
West Indian Commission of the 1990s -- said he welcomed and acted
on the advice of "my good friend, Henry".
Ramphal's
tribe
Currently, in
addition to a range of consultancies, he is part of a team of
distinguished legal experts chosen by the Guyana Government to
represent its case in a maritime boundary dispute with
neighbouring Suriname through the process of the U.N. Convention
on the Law of the Sea -- similar to that between Barbados and
Trinidad and Tobago.
A
virtual household name within CARICOM, Ramphal would be as well
known in government/political circles in Africa, Asia, North
America and Europe as any of the more outstanding political
leaders, technocrats and lawmakers of the English-speaking
Caribbean.
Having
served the Commonwealth as Secretary General for 15 years, he was
to spend an equal number of years in various capacities in the
service of the CARICOM region. These would include his years as
UWI Chancellor, Chairman of the West Indian Commission and head of
the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery (CRNM).
He
was among the first three CARICOM nationals to be awarded with the
community's highest honour -- Order of Caribbean Community (OCC),
the other two being the now late William Demas, and the noble
laureate Derek Walcott.
The
OCC entitles its recipients with, among other privileges, permanent
residence anywhere within CARICOM with rights associated with
those of its citizens.
Ramphal
has really been constantly moving in and out of Barbados since
around 1983. Here is where members of his close family have been
living for some years. Among them would be his 96-year-old mother;
his two sons and his sister.
As
a national of CARICOM, the integration movement of which he was
among its architects from the inception, Ramphal considers himself
to be "with the Caribbean family at large" even as he
has now finally settled into living in Barbados permanently.
day,
April 21, 2006
