Antigua and Barbuda PM Gaston Browne seeks unity on VC Bird Day

Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne on Monday, December 9, paid tributes to Sir Vere Cornwall Bird Senior (1910-99), the country’s first prime minister and a national hero, on the occasion of his 115th birth anniversary observed as VC Bird Day.

Addressing a crowd which assembled on the occasion of a wreath-laying ceremony in honor of the “Father of the Nation”, Browne called Sir Bird a transcendent leader who made unmatched contributions to the archipelago’s socio-economic and political development. He said the giant status of the late leader warranted a standalone celebration of his birthday.

PM Browne criticizes political opponents

Browne, who belongs to the Labour Party of which Sir Bird was the founder, also took the opportunity to accuse the political opponents of trying to belittle the latter’s legacy.

Between 2005 and 2013, when the United Progressive Party was in power, VC Bird Day was merged with National Heroes Day. PM Browne recalled it to say that the decision had diminished the significance of Sir Bird’s contributions. He described it as a “vacuous expression of consolation” and not a meaningful celebration.

In 2014, after the Labour Party returned to power and Browne became the prime minister, VC Bird Day was restored as a distinct occasion to celebrate. October 26 was set as the National Heroes Day but it is not a public holiday. VC Bird Day, on the other hand, is observed as a public holiday in Antigua and Barbuda.

On Monday, which saw a decade since the restoration of VC Bird Day, PM Browne said the late leader must be celebrated each year on his birthday.

“It is very fitting that we continue to celebrate his contributions and his achievements to inspire our generation and future generations to higher levels of achievement,” he said. He also called Sir Bird a self-taught man of courage and significant wisdom.

Browne, who said Antigua and Barbuda today is reaping the results of efforts to build on the legacy of its first prime minister, appealed to all people of the country to reflect on the values Sir Bird represented and to commit themselves to collective development. The PM cautioned that attempts to disrespect or boycott VC Bird Day will only divide the country.

Highlighting figures that show the growth in Antigua and Barbuda’s economy and the per capita income, Browne gave credit to the foundation that Sir Bird had set up along with his contemporaries. He asked the citizens to embrace Sir Bird’s legacy as a guide to build the country’s future.

Other political and diplomatic leaders of Antigua and Barbuda also gathered on Monday to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sir Bird.

Who was Sir VC Bird?

Sir Bird was born in St John’s, then in the Presidency of Antigua and now the capital of the twin-island state, on December 9, 1910. He came from a poor background and did not have much formal education.

In 1939, Bird became an executive member of the Antigua Trades and Labour Union and four years later, the president of the union. He fought for better wages and working conditions and rose to the rank of the chief minister of Antigua in 1960.

Bird was sent to political exile in 1971 but returned five years later with a bang. He served as the premier of Antigua between 1967-71 and 1976-81, when he became the first prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda after it attained independence from British rule.

He continued in power till 1994 when he quit politics, paving the way for his son Lester who became the second prime minister.

While many call him a dynast, populist leader and a dictator, Sir Bird’s contributions as a freedom fighter and in bringing wide economic and social reforms in Antigua and Barbuda besides scripting political turnarounds make him one of the most revered figures in the country’s history.

Honoured with the Knight of the Order of the National Hero by his nation, Sir Bird passed away on June 28, 1999, in St John’s.