Lester Bird
Encyclopedia
Lester Bryant Bird was the second Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda
from 1994 to 2004 and a well-known athlete. He was chairman of the Antigua Labour Party
(ALP) from 1971 to 1993, then became Prime Minister when his father, Vere Bird
, the previous Prime Minister, resigned.
Bird was born on February 21, 1938. Lester and his elder brother Vere Bird, Jr.
, also a British-education lawyer, have been considered sometime rivals, with the New York Times writing in 1990 that Lester had always overshadowed his brother, according to those who have known them both. He was educated at Antigua Grammar School and was brought up as a Methodist
. Bird was a cricket
player in his youth, playing for the Leeward Islands
, and a long jump
champion. He attended the an University of Michigan
, where he was All-American long jumper in 1960 and graduated in 1962. Bird completed his study of law in Britain and was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
in 1969. From 1969 to 1976, Bird engaged in private practice in Antigua.
Bird's political career began in 1971, when he was nominated to the Senate
. The frequently-dominant Antigua Labour Party was in opposition for a five-year period. Lester Bird was named chairman of the ALP and the leader of the opposition
in the Senate. Lester continued to served as leader of the opposition until he was elected to the House of Representatives
at the 1976 elections, when the ALP returned to power. Bird joined his father's government at deputy prime minister
. In addition to serving as deputy prime minister, Bird also served as was minister of economic development, tourism, and energy. Bird's tenure as minister of tourism and minister of economic development was controversial, and he personally benefited from tourism partnerships with foreign investors, including in the construction of the Royal Antiguan Hotel.
Following independence in 1981, Bird gained the external affairs portfolio was was the first chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in 1982. He was chairman of OECS for a second time in 1989. The ALP government and Bird himself won won re-election in 1994
and 1999. These elections, as well an the 1989 elections, were highly controversial; the 1989 elections were "marred by irregularities and fraud" and charges made by the opposition, described as credible by Freedom House
, that the ALP used bribery and intimidation and exerted undue influence over the elections supervisor. The 1999 was deemed nor free or fair in an independent report which concluded that the opposition United Progressive Party
(UPP) could "conceivably could have won a majority of seats in parliament" if the election had been fair.
The ALP had been divided by a succession crisis between Lester Bird and Vere Bird, Jr., since 1989. Lester Bird lost his deputy prime minister post in 1991, but retired the external affairs ministry and the planning and trade portfolio. The elder Vere Bird was initially thought to have favored Vere Jr. until an arms scandal in which the elder son had been found to have been involved in the smuggling of weapons from Antigua to the Colombia
n Medellín Cartel
. Vere Bird Jr.,, then Minister of Public Works, was dismissed from office and an inquiry, led by Sir Louis Blom-Cooper
, recommended that he never be allowed to hold office again (although he subsequently did return to office), and the elder Vere Bird banned his Vere Bird, Jr., boosting Lester Bird's chances to follow his father in the prime ministership and defusing pressure for Vere Bird to step down.
In 1992, another scandal, involving Vere Bird's siphoning of public funds into a personal account, furthered to calls for him to step down, with three opposition parties uniting to form the UPP under the leadership of Baldwin Spencer
. Following a successful general strike
called by the UPP, Vere Bird announced in March 1992 he would step down at the 1994 general elections. The ALP succession crisis continued following this, with a special convention to elect a successor on May 24, 1992 resulting in a deadlock between Lester Bird and John St. Luce, the information minister
. The ALP leadership question was finally settled at the party's September 1993 convention, at which Lester won the leadership of the party, defeating St Luce, 169 votes to 131. The party post of ALP chairman went to Vere Jr.
In the March 1994 elections
, the ALP under Bird's leadership won 11 out of 17 seats even as the opposition criticized the ALP over corruption issues. During the election the ALP pledged open government
, an ombudsman
to deal with citizen complaints, and new jobs, especially in tourism
. Bird assumed the prime ministership on March 9, 1994. He appointed St. Luce (not not his brother Vere Jr.) to the cabinet. (Vere Jr. was subsequently named special adviser). Lester Bird took the portfolios for external affairs, planning, social services, and information for himself, and in a 1996 cabinet reshuffle also took the communications, civil aviation
, international transport, and gaming
portfolios.
In the 1999 elections
, the ALP increases their parliamentary majority by one seat, holding 12 seats. Bird was reconfirmed as prime minister and elevation Vere Jr. to the cabinet as minister of agriculture, marking his full political rehabilitation
. Bird also shuffled his own portfolios and by December 2002 held the foreign affairs, finance, legal affairs, justice, and national security
ministries in addition to being the prime minister.
In the March 2004 election, the ALP was defeated by the United Progressive Party
(UPP) led by Baldwin Spencer
. Bird's party lost eight seats, and he himself was defeated by Errol Cort
, who became Minister of Finance in the new UPP government.
Bird has remained the ALP's political leader following the party's 2004 defeat. He led the party in the March 2009 election
; although the ALP lost the election, it gained 3 seats from the UPP and Bird defeated Cort by 96 votes in the St John's Rural East constituency, where he had lost in 2004. He now holds the position of Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
"There was a specific philosophical basis on which we levied taxes. We wanted high disposable income for the people and efficient government providing excellent services with minimum taxes. So we carefully created this low tax jurisdiction to keep more money in the hands of people. As a result, there was rapid upward mobility from being an agriculture based people to being a new middle class."
Lester Bryant Bird is an Honorary Member of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda is a twin-island nation lying between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. It consists of two major inhabited islands, Antigua and Barbuda, and a number of smaller islands...
from 1994 to 2004 and a well-known athlete. He was chairman of the Antigua Labour Party
Antigua Labour Party
The Antigua Labour Party is the former ruling political party in Antigua and Barbuda. It has long been led by Lester Bird, who was chairman of the party since 1971, and became Prime Minister and political leader in 1994. The party was founded by Lester's father, V.C. Bird...
(ALP) from 1971 to 1993, then became Prime Minister when his father, Vere Bird
Vere Bird
Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Sr. was the first Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. His son, Lester Bryant Bird, succeeded him as Prime Minister. In 1994 he was declared a national hero....
, the previous Prime Minister, resigned.
Bird was born on February 21, 1938. Lester and his elder brother Vere Bird, Jr.
Vere Bird, Jr.
Vere Bird, Jr. is an Antiguan lawyer and politician who served as chairman of the Antigua Labour Party and a government minister. He is the son of Vere Bird, the former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and brother of Lester Bird, who later held the same position.Bird entered politics in 1981...
, also a British-education lawyer, have been considered sometime rivals, with the New York Times writing in 1990 that Lester had always overshadowed his brother, according to those who have known them both. He was educated at Antigua Grammar School and was brought up as a Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
. Bird was a cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
player in his youth, playing for the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
, and a long jump
Long jump
The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
champion. He attended the an University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
, where he was All-American long jumper in 1960 and graduated in 1962. Bird completed his study of law in Britain and was called to the bar at Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1969. From 1969 to 1976, Bird engaged in private practice in Antigua.
Bird's political career began in 1971, when he was nominated to the Senate
Senate of Antigua and Barbuda
The Senate is the Upper House of Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda. It consists of 17 members appointed by the Governor General. Ten Members are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister, four on the advice of the Leader of the Opposition, one on the advice of the Barbuda Council, one resident...
. The frequently-dominant Antigua Labour Party was in opposition for a five-year period. Lester Bird was named chairman of the ALP and the leader of the opposition
Leader of the Opposition
The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government...
in the Senate. Lester continued to served as leader of the opposition until he was elected to the House of Representatives
House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda
The House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda is the lower chamber of the country's bicameral parliament.The current House of Representatives, formed following elections held on 12 March 2009, has a total of 19 members. 17 members are directly elected to five year terms from single member...
at the 1976 elections, when the ALP returned to power. Bird joined his father's government at deputy prime minister
Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some counties, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, but is significantly different, though both...
. In addition to serving as deputy prime minister, Bird also served as was minister of economic development, tourism, and energy. Bird's tenure as minister of tourism and minister of economic development was controversial, and he personally benefited from tourism partnerships with foreign investors, including in the construction of the Royal Antiguan Hotel.
Following independence in 1981, Bird gained the external affairs portfolio was was the first chairman of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States in 1982. He was chairman of OECS for a second time in 1989. The ALP government and Bird himself won won re-election in 1994
Antigua and Barbuda general election, 1994
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 8 March 1994. They were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party, under the leadership of Lester Bird. Bird had been appointed leader of the ALP before the election, after his father and predecessor Vere Bird announced his intention to retire....
and 1999. These elections, as well an the 1989 elections, were highly controversial; the 1989 elections were "marred by irregularities and fraud" and charges made by the opposition, described as credible by Freedom House
Freedom House
Freedom House is an international non-governmental organization based in Washington, D.C. that conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom and human rights...
, that the ALP used bribery and intimidation and exerted undue influence over the elections supervisor. The 1999 was deemed nor free or fair in an independent report which concluded that the opposition United Progressive Party
United Progressive Party (Antigua and Barbuda)
The United Progressive Party is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. It is led by Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and has the majority of seats in the Antiguan House of Representatives.-Foundation:...
(UPP) could "conceivably could have won a majority of seats in parliament" if the election had been fair.
The ALP had been divided by a succession crisis between Lester Bird and Vere Bird, Jr., since 1989. Lester Bird lost his deputy prime minister post in 1991, but retired the external affairs ministry and the planning and trade portfolio. The elder Vere Bird was initially thought to have favored Vere Jr. until an arms scandal in which the elder son had been found to have been involved in the smuggling of weapons from Antigua to the Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n Medellín Cartel
Medellín Cartel
The Medellín Cartel was an organized network of "drug suppliers and smugglers" originating in the city of Medellín, Colombia. The drug cartel operated in Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, Central America, the United States, as well as Canada and Europe throughout the 1970s and 1980s. It was founded and...
. Vere Bird Jr.,, then Minister of Public Works, was dismissed from office and an inquiry, led by Sir Louis Blom-Cooper
Louis Blom-Cooper
Sir Louis Jacques Blom-Cooper QC FKC is an author and UK lawyer specialising in public law and administrative law.-Education:...
, recommended that he never be allowed to hold office again (although he subsequently did return to office), and the elder Vere Bird banned his Vere Bird, Jr., boosting Lester Bird's chances to follow his father in the prime ministership and defusing pressure for Vere Bird to step down.
In 1992, another scandal, involving Vere Bird's siphoning of public funds into a personal account, furthered to calls for him to step down, with three opposition parties uniting to form the UPP under the leadership of Baldwin Spencer
Baldwin Spencer
Winston Baldwin Spencer is the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He has been Prime Minister since March 24, 2004, when his party, the United Progressive Party , which he had led as the opposition party for several years, won a parliamentary election...
. Following a successful general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
called by the UPP, Vere Bird announced in March 1992 he would step down at the 1994 general elections. The ALP succession crisis continued following this, with a special convention to elect a successor on May 24, 1992 resulting in a deadlock between Lester Bird and John St. Luce, the information minister
Information minister
An information minister is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters, and is often linked with censorship and propaganda...
. The ALP leadership question was finally settled at the party's September 1993 convention, at which Lester won the leadership of the party, defeating St Luce, 169 votes to 131. The party post of ALP chairman went to Vere Jr.
In the March 1994 elections
Antigua and Barbuda general election, 1994
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 8 March 1994. They were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party, under the leadership of Lester Bird. Bird had been appointed leader of the ALP before the election, after his father and predecessor Vere Bird announced his intention to retire....
, the ALP under Bird's leadership won 11 out of 17 seats even as the opposition criticized the ALP over corruption issues. During the election the ALP pledged open government
Open government
Open government is the governing doctrine which holds that citizens have the right to access the documents and proceedings of the government to allow for effective public oversight. In its broadest construction it opposes reason of state and racist considerations, which have tended to legitimize...
, an ombudsman
Ombudsman
An ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
to deal with citizen complaints, and new jobs, especially in tourism
Economy of Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda's economy is service-based, with tourism and government services representing the key sources of employment and income. Tourism accounts directly or indirectly for more than half of GDP and is also the principal earner of foreign exchange in Antigua and Barbuda...
. Bird assumed the prime ministership on March 9, 1994. He appointed St. Luce (not not his brother Vere Jr.) to the cabinet. (Vere Jr. was subsequently named special adviser). Lester Bird took the portfolios for external affairs, planning, social services, and information for himself, and in a 1996 cabinet reshuffle also took the communications, civil aviation
Civil aviation
Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...
, international transport, and gaming
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
portfolios.
In the 1999 elections
Antigua and Barbuda general election, 1994
General elections were held in Antigua and Barbuda on 8 March 1994. They were won by the governing Antigua Labour Party, under the leadership of Lester Bird. Bird had been appointed leader of the ALP before the election, after his father and predecessor Vere Bird announced his intention to retire....
, the ALP increases their parliamentary majority by one seat, holding 12 seats. Bird was reconfirmed as prime minister and elevation Vere Jr. to the cabinet as minister of agriculture, marking his full political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation
Political rehabilitation is the process by which a member of a political organization or government who has fallen into disgrace, is restored to public life. It is usually applied to leaders or other prominent individuals who regain their prominence after a period in which they have no influence or...
. Bird also shuffled his own portfolios and by December 2002 held the foreign affairs, finance, legal affairs, justice, and national security
National security
National security is the requirement to maintain the survival of the state through the use of economic, diplomacy, power projection and political power. The concept developed mostly in the United States of America after World War II...
ministries in addition to being the prime minister.
In the March 2004 election, the ALP was defeated by the United Progressive Party
United Progressive Party (Antigua and Barbuda)
The United Progressive Party is a political party in Antigua and Barbuda. It is led by Baldwin Spencer, the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and has the majority of seats in the Antiguan House of Representatives.-Foundation:...
(UPP) led by Baldwin Spencer
Baldwin Spencer
Winston Baldwin Spencer is the Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He has been Prime Minister since March 24, 2004, when his party, the United Progressive Party , which he had led as the opposition party for several years, won a parliamentary election...
. Bird's party lost eight seats, and he himself was defeated by Errol Cort
Errol Cort
Errol Cort is an Antigua and Barbudan politician, lawyer and economist. He was Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs and Attorney General of Antigua and Barbuda from 1999 to 2001 and has been involved with successful electoral reforms in the country. He served as Minister of Finance between 2004...
, who became Minister of Finance in the new UPP government.
Bird has remained the ALP's political leader following the party's 2004 defeat. He led the party in the March 2009 election
Antigua and Barbuda general election, 2009
The Antigua and Barbuda general election of 2009 was held on 12 March 2009. The United Progressive Party government was re-elected with a reduced majority...
; although the ALP lost the election, it gained 3 seats from the UPP and Bird defeated Cort by 96 votes in the St John's Rural East constituency, where he had lost in 2004. He now holds the position of Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.
"There was a specific philosophical basis on which we levied taxes. We wanted high disposable income for the people and efficient government providing excellent services with minimum taxes. So we carefully created this low tax jurisdiction to keep more money in the hands of people. As a result, there was rapid upward mobility from being an agriculture based people to being a new middle class."
Lester Bryant Bird is an Honorary Member of The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation