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Tuesday Sept 25, 2007 --- Saint Lucians are being applauded for
the calm and dignified manner in which they collectively mourned the
passing of the country's distinguished former Prime Minister the Right
Honourable Sir John G. M. Compton.
The official two week period of national mourning came to an end at
midnight, Friday 22 nd September, having been declared shortly after Sir
John's death on the evening of September 7th.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Senator Honourable Tessa Mangal
said by and large, the media responded commendably, adjusting their
programming to suit the somber mood of the country. The minister however
held one reservation towards the 'talk show' genre which she said in
some cases 'could have been better controlled'.
Ms. Mangal said the Compton family has also expressed positive comments
about the manner in which the nation observed the passing of Sir John.
“As far as I'm aware the information and feedback that we've gotten is
that they were very satisfied, they were very happy with the way in
which the people of Saint Lucia responded and respected their wishes and
the wishes of Sir John with regard to his funeral arrangements.”
The end of the official mourning period does not bring an end to the
depth of loss and sadness which many continue to feel by the death of
Sir John. Many local, regional and international personalities and
institutions continue to eulogise Sir John's life as a great person,
politician and leader.
GOODBYE
SIR JOHN COMPTON.
Lady Compton and family outside of the Church today.
Tuesday Sept 18, 2007 --- The achievements of the late Prime
Minister Sir John Compton in national and regional development were
hailed in a series of tributes by speakers at his State funeral here
Tuesday.
But they were overshadowed by several musical tributes to Compton, two
in calypso, towards the end of the nearly four hour funeral service,
held in the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.
Reigning Calypso Monarch Minelle Delice sang her popular “Compi Holding
On” which won her the title two months ago and immortalizes Compton’s
return to the political fray last December when he led his United
Workers Party (UWP) to electoral victory.
Then Morgie, who has sang several pro-UWP calypsos over the years,
rendered “Island of Sir John”. Both performances were loudly cheered by
the congregation.
Earlier Governor of the St. Kitts-based Eastern Caribbean Central Bank,
Sir Dwight Venner, delivering the eulogy, described Compton who died
September 7 as “a politician of the highest quality”, while former St.
Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell, called
Compton “a legend”.
The service was attended by several regional leaders, some of whom were
given the opportunity to pay tribute to Compton. Among them were Prime
Ministers Owen Arthur of Barbados, Ralph Gonzalves of St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, Baldwin Spencer of Antigua-Barbuda, Keith Mitchell of
Grenada and Roosevelt Skerrit of Dominica.
Also attending were former Prime Ministers P.J. Patterson and Edward
Seaga of Jamaica.
United States Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson
and Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Mary Ourisman,
represented President George Bush.
The tiny island of Canouan in the Grenadines where Compton was born in
1925 sent a 36-strong contingent to the service.
Hundreds of people, including children waving the national flag, lined
the routes of the funeral process to and from the 2,000-seat Basilica,
which was packed to capacity. Outside in Derek Walcott Square hundreds
more followed the service on a huge screen. Several mourners openly
cried both inside and outside the church, while several more visibly
fought back tears.
“ After hearing all the tributes of recent days, I have only now come to
appreciate and understand the work which Sir John undertook in St.
Lucia”, said a 17 year old student Simon St. Ange. “He was a remarkable
man.”
The church was decorated with pink anthurium lilies and other local
flowers enhanced with greenery from banana, lime and orange plants, in
tribute to Compton’s role as a farmer.
There were many emotional moments during the funeral service that was
dominates by the tributes. There was emotion in the voice of former
Prime Minister James Mitchell, a cousin of Compton, when he described
Compton as “a legend who will thrive forever in the hearts of
generations in this Caribbean of ours”.
Said Mitchell: “Today we mourn the passing of a legend…. so we must
relish the occasion and blend it into our history”.
Venner, an economist who worked with Compton’s government in the 1980s,
said that the landscape of St. Lucia had been transformed by
infrastructural projects conceived by him.
The voice of former St. Lucia governor general William George Mallet,
Compton‘s deputy in the UWP which they co-founded in 1964, also wavered
briefly when towards the end of his tribute, he said: “Farewell, John,
till we meet again”.
Earlier Mallet had hailed Compton as “an exceptional St. Lucian” and “an
unusually gifted individual”.
The Barbados Prime Minister Arthur spoke highly of Compton’s role in
regional integration. “All of us in the Caribbean are the beneficiaries
of his commitment to Caribbean unity and development expressed in his
unique and sterling way over 50 long years of struggle”
Compton’s wife, Lady Janice Compton, the daughter of the island’s first
native governor demonstrated remarkable strength, when she spoke of her
love for her husband, describing it as “a love for all eternity”.
She said she was grateful for "that man who touched my life and made my
dreams come true" and who came from an era when people came to serve and
not be served.
"I shall forever search the universe and its twinkling stars for you…you
will always be my great love," Lady Janice said of her husband of 30
years.
She said that Sir John had a premonition that the end was near and even
while he had gone back into active politics at the age of 81 to help
reverse the direction that the island had taken, he had made the point
that he would not be around too long after he had reached the promised
land..
She said she considered herself “privileged” to have shared his life.
The couple have five children.
After the service, Compton’s body was taken to a funeral home for its
cremation with only family members present.
SAINT
LUCIANS PAY FINAL RESPECTS TO SIR. JOHN COMPTON.
Lady Compton saying good bye to Sir John.
Monday Sept 17, 2007 --- CASTRIES—The streets of this capital
city have taken on a festive look as St. Lucians get ready to pay their
final respects to Prime Minister Sir John Compton who died earlier this
month and will be buried Tuesday after a State funeral.
Flags and buntings in the national colours of yellow, blue, black and
white adorn streets and buildings, in line with the official exhortation
to “celebrate” the life and times of Sir John, rather than mourn his
passing.
Vehicles across the island are also flying national flags or strips of
black and or yellow fabric, the yellow this time the colour of Compton’s
ruling United Workers Party (UWP), which dominated the seat of political
power here from 1964 to 1979 and again from 1982 to 1997.
Compton’s body came to the Parliament Building Monday for the last time
to lie in state. Throughout the day scores of people have been filing
past the closed casket and several of the mourners were seen wiping away
tears.
Compton passed away September 7 after illness caused by a series of mini
strokes which he suffered at the beginning of May.
An attorney and planter, he served as head of the government here on
three different occasions, the last in December 2006 when he came out of
retirement to lead his United Workers Party to a shock election triumph
over the St. Lucia Labour Party.
He championed the cause of workers and fought for their rights against
the sugar plantocracy in 1957 after which he became famous. In 1979,
Compton led St. Lucia to independence from Britain.
Sunday, hundreds turned out for a memorial service in the district of
Micoud which Compton represented in parliament for 42 years. His body
was taken there from the capital Saturday to allow his constituents to
pay their final respects.
During the service Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell hailed
Compton’s role in organizing the 1983 United States-led military action
that resulted in the overthrow of a Marxist regime in the island which
had murdered Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and several other people.
Said Mitchell: “The people of Grenada will remember Sir John Compton in
a special way for what he stood for and the position he took when the
whole of Grenada was experiencing serious difficulties as a nation”
Former St. Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Sir James Mitchell
of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, a cousin of Compton, also attended
the service and paid tribute to the fallen leader.
Compton has been hailed for his humility and this quality has been
evident even in death. Instead of a funeral coach befitting his
position, his casket is being driven around on board his private pick-up
FAR 298—the FAR for “farmer”-- with which St. Lucians are quite
familiar.
Tuesday has been declared a national public holiday. Although an
Anglican, Compton’s state funeral will take place in the Roman Catholic
Minor Basilica, in the heart of the capital, to accommodate the large
turnout expected to attend.
A huge television screen has been erected in the Derek Walcott Square,
immediately next to the Basilica, so that people who can’t get into the
church, can follow the service.
Compton-Humiliated and Harassed.
Monday Sept 17, 2007 ---John
Compton was the greatest and most successful political leader in St.
Lucia’s history, But he was also the most criticized, harassed, maligned
and humiliated leader in our country as well.
He was a leader who was made to fight
most of the time he headed the government, even for the things he wanted
to achieve for the island, whether it was political independence or the
implementation of a development project that he believed held great
prospects for St. Lucia.
There seemed to be an unwritten rule that
said that Compton had to be opposed, come what may. In fact, Compton was
more often than not the principal target of opposition criticism of the
United Workers Party. His was the name most heard on the platform of the
opposition and often mentioned in a particular way to achieve a
particular effect.
The campaign for independence was
particularly nasty. On one occasion, one of Compton’s political
opponents led a mob from a public meeting on the Castries Market Steps
to his official residence at Vigie late in the night, purportedly to
protest the manner in which his government was going about seeking
independence. Compton was not there but his wife and children were and
the mob proceeded to vandalise the property causing them to fear for
their lives. Even the small police detachment at the residence came
under attack and reinforcements had to be summoned.
Away from St. Lucia, Compton was revered
by political leaders and ordinary citizens. At home, he had a strong
band of faithful followers and believers. But mostly these were always
in the background, maybe because they feared the power of those who
opposed him.
Who can forget the sight of Compton,
after his first and only political defeat in 1979, being followed by a
small mob of opposing party supporters on his way on foot from his
office on the William Peter Boulevard, verbally abused and called
various nasty names.
Forever cool, but courageous under fire,
Compton simply strode about his business oblivious to the taunting that
was taking place around him. At the time there were calls from his
opponents for his arrest. Nothing was said of the intended charges
against him, only that he should be arrested.
To his credit, the incident caused then
Prime Minister Allan Louisy, to publicly denounce that type of behaviour
and order that Compton should be left alone. Ironically, in later life,
the antagonists would find themselves allied with Compton in another
fight, this time against their own former party.
No other politician in St. Lucia since
adult suffrage has had to bear the torrent of abuse and degradation that
Compton has. He was called at various times “demented”, “a dog”,
“senile”, “thief” by his opponents and towards the end of his political
career even his age became the subject of derision and ridicule on
public platforms and in the House of Assembly. On occasions even
children joined in calling him derogatory names.
Frequently during his 43 years of
political activity, Compton frequently put himself, or found himself in
harm’s way. Whenever it happened, he showed remarkable courage and
fearlessness..
Three years after he entered the
political arena, as a trade union leader in 1957, Compton he led a
strike against the sugar plantocracy here for better conditions and
wages for workers. He was arrested and slapped with two criminal charges
following a confrontation with one of the white planters whom he dared
to run him over with a tractor.
Compton was convicted and fined in a
Magistrate’s Court for “illegally besetting” the approach to an estate
and obstructing the use of a public highway. It was this episode that
established Compton’s reputation and popularity.
In the same year, Compton may have saved
the life of George Charles, his union and government leader, by pushing
him out of the way of a police bayonet. The incident has been written
into history by Charles himself. But in later years, Compton‘s political
opponents would spread the word that he had never done anything for
Charles, and many actually believed it.
After Charles fell on hard times, it was
Compton who came to his assistance, securing for him state pension
rights when he didn’t even qualify. But Compton would not even defend
himself against the false claims being made on that issue of George
Charles. Neither did he condemn the many whom he had given opportunity
for advancement and who later turned on him and paid him back with
hatred and anger.
During his political career, Compton
faced angry protesting crowds on several occasions, with little concern
about his own safety. The 1993 banana strike in the Dennery valley was
one such example. His vehicle was attacked in the process
Whether as Prime Minister of private
citizen, Compton never moved about with bodyguards or allowed himself to
be chauffeur-driven wherever he was going. Even in the 2006 general
election campaign he was driving himself all over the country late into
the night, attending meetings and taking supporters to their homes, then
driving to his own Monchy residence alone, sometimes past midnight. It
was a phenomenal achievement for an 80 year old.
On occasions, even as Prime Minister he
has been seen by the roadside attending to a problem with his vehicle,
like any ordinary citizen.
“The day that I find myself needing
bodyguards to go around my own country”, he once said, “is the day I
would give up leadership”.
Who can forget Compton, no longer Prime
Minister in 1997, being debarred from parking his vehicle on the William
Peter Boulevard, by supporters of his political opponents. Later, there
would be talk from the new government about the need to treat former
Prime Ministers with respect and dignity.
It is not necessary to chronicle here the
every act that sought to disgrace Compton, in or out of office. The
final act in this scenario came from within his own party when newly
elected Members of Parliament who thought little of Compton’s counsel
and experience in foreign affairs, decided to form a bloc of opposition
to him on the China-Taiwan issue. It was the final straw in more ways
than one because it precipitated the illness that would sideline Compton
until his death.
The use of human excreta as a political
weapon to disrupt a public meeting of his United Workers Party on the
William Peter Bouelvard on the night of July 19, 1979 was the ultimate
in public insult and humiliation. That same night Compton braved a
hostile crowd but miraculously made his say out of the scene that would
become chaotic within hours with widespread destruction and looting.
Compton on occasions received scathing
criticism from his own colleagues. In 1972 Hunter Francois, then
Education Minister and deputy Premier publicly accused Compton of
“pathological irresponsibility” in his handling of a government matter.
Only months before, Compton and Francois had shared the spotlight
following the successful passage of legislation that took away
responsibility for education from the Church. It was a historic moment
in St. Lucia, and was achieved in the face of public protest from the
Roman Catholic Church which brought out secondary school students onto
the streets.
Would Compton have got away with the
Rochamel and its $81 million price tag? Would he have survived the
scandal that took place at the National Conservation Association (NCA)?
In 1995, when the United Nations Funds scandal broke under his
administration, there were people calling for a formal investigation
long before the full details of the transaction had even become clear. A
decade later when the NCA fiasco broke, these crusaders for propriety
and justice were still in St. Lucia, but all held their peace.
He was opposed on casinos every time he
broached the issue as a necessary addition to the tourism product.
Churches threatened to bring out people on the streets in protest, but
when another leader put forward the same case, not a sound was heard.
For some strange reason, we always seemed
to demand in Compton, the perfection and attributes that we never
demanded of any other leader.
Although he frequently had run ins with
the press, closed down one or two radio stations, and occasionally
responded to his critics with his own venom, Compton mostly took
political pressure and criticism in stride. One notable exception was
his 1970s suit against THE CRUSADER and its publisher George Odlum who
had accused him of illegally selling land to himself. Compton won a suit
for libel and $60,000 in damages that was reduced on appeal by Odlum to
$35,000, but there were claims that he never collected on that court
award.
Did Compton’s achievements incur the envy
of his opponents? Why is it that his very name struck fear in the hearts
of the opposition, even when he returned to lead his party into the
election of 2006 at the age of 80?
For years, Compton withstood opposition
criticism over the fact that he was not born in St. Lucia, and he was
often referred to as a “foreigner”. Some even campaigned that a
“foreigner” could not be Prime Minister of St. Lucia, while others
threatened to send him “back” where he belonged. Born in Canouan,
Compton came to St. Lucia at the age of 14 and attended both the
Castries Intermediate School and St. Mary’s College.
Apparently, Compton was expected to have
control over the circumstances of his birth as well. After the UWP’s
election defeat of 1997, a concerted effort appeared to have been made
to wipe away his legacy from the island, all to no avail. (By Guy Ellis)
Compton-Independence
Monday Sept 17, 2007 ---No
blood was spilled in St. Lucia’s quest for independence but if the
struggle was tough it also found John Compton in an unrelenting mood in
the face obstacles both at home and in London.
There was never any doubt that Compton
wanted to end the colonial status with Britain. But he also prided
himself as a regionalist. In a farewell address in 1996, he described
the failure of his proposals for closer ties among Eastern Caribbean
states as a key frustration of his career.
"It is a disappointment that I may not
see ourselves entering the 21st century as one people, one nation, with
one destiny, but rather as a divided people scattered over the Caribbean
Sea," he said. The collapse of the 1958-62 Federation and the failure to
salvage from it what had been mooted as a “Little Eight” federation, was
followed by the bigger Caribbean islands seeking their freedom from the
mother country.
First Jamaica, then Trinidad and Tobago
in 1962, followed by Guyana and Barbados in 1966, the larger countries
went each their separate way.
When the United Workers Party came to power in 1964 it made it clear
that it was its intention to take St. Lucia into a new constitutional
status. So it was that by the end of 1965, the Colonial Office offered
St Lucia as well as the other three Windward Islands the status of
“independence in association with Britain”. By March of the following
year delegations from the four islands were in London for discussions
with the British government.
Compton knew there was hard bargaining
when the British refused to include aid, trade and migration in the
talks, and on the final day of the talks he let loose with a round of
stinging criticism of Britain that embarrassed even some members of his
own delegation.
“The colour of our skin is against us”,
Compton told them, “and a government, even one that professes democracy,
is pleased to legislate and to propound the doctrine of second class
citizenship for people of another colour”.
It is not known whether Compton’s stand
resulted in the decision later to establish what was called The British
Division in the Caribbean that was based ion Barbados, through which
Britain channeled considerable funding to the islands in the
post-independence era.
Before going off to London, Compton had
the fight off the attacks of the Labour Party opposition with only two
seats in the then Legislative Council.
he two, George Charles and Martin Jn.
Baptiste voted against the 1965 resolution that gave the government the
mandate to seek full internal self government. The Labour Party wanted
fresh general elections before self government and even tried
unsuccessfully to amend the government’s resolution to achieve that aim.
Compton always saw the semi-autonomous status of “Statehood”, as it was
loosely called, as a bridge to cross over into full independence.
But as he said later, Associated
Statehood did not close the door on West Indian unity. St. Lucia, with
Compton at the helm, participated in the creation of the West Indies
Associated States Council of Ministers with headquarters in St Lucia and
later joined the Caribbean Free Trade Area (CARIFTA) later to become the
Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
In 1974, Grenada pushed for independence
on its own and Dominica followed the next year. In 1974 too, Compton’s
United Workers Party won general elections and the same year a party
convention passed a resolution empowering the government to go to
independence.
Compton would say later: “We felt that
having cleared all hurdles with seven years of successful
self-government, with three consecutive electoral victories, with the
mandate of the people, the party and parliament, we would be independent
within a year”.
But Compton was reckoning without the
opposition Labour Party and just as they had done with “Statehood” the
Labour Party’s cry for elections or a referendum before independence
went up.
At successive conferences in London
involving delegations from the government, opposition and the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office, the Labour Party held out for elections or
referendum. From very early, it was clear that Britain was not
interested in what it considered an internal political matter.
The decision by the British government to
grant both Grenada and Dominica independence without the pre condition
of elections or referendum sent the clearest signal that in the case of
St. Lucia, its position would be the same.
But the Labour Party held its ground and
its campaign against independence on occasions turned ugly with groups
of party supporters being led on two separate occasions, once to
Compton’s official residence and on another occasion to the then Malabar
hotel where a British Government official was staying, to protest the
independence plans. On both occasions, the protestors vandalized the
property. Against the background of opposition protest, Compton went to
London in March 1978 for a two-day conference on constitutional advance
for St. Lucia and was reported to have arrived in an “uncompromising”
mood.
Once again, Compton spoke tough. Arguing
that Associated State had abridged St. Lucia’s freedom to some extent
and that the status could be terminated at any time by either party,
Compton declared: “The government of St. Lucia holds most fervently,
that it is the inalienable right of every country, however small, to be
free and to preside over its own destiny. A country may voluntarily
abridge its freedom, or have such freedom abridged by historical or
other circumstances…
If the government of any country, whose
freedom is thus abridged, demands the restoration of full freedom, it is
not that country’s duty to prove its right to have its freedom restored,
but rather for those responsible for such abridgment, to justify their
unnatural action.”
Any delay by Britain in granting
independence, he said, called into question the allegedly “free and
voluntary” nature of Associated Statehood.
Declared Compton: “It is absolutely
humiliating and intolerable, for a government that has been duly elected
by the majority of the people of St. Lucia since 1964, and has been
sustained in office by their confidence since then, to be traveling at
great expense of time and money to the United Kingdom, and then to
trudge up and down the staircases of this office, like so many
mendicants seeking favours from a master. This is an anomaly in the
present international environment and one which the St. Lucia Government
is no longer willing to accept.”
And in response to the agitation of the
opposition, Compton was brief: “We have over the past two years given
every opportunity for debate about our constitutional future, but in any
democratic society, when there is disagreement, the will of the majority
must prevail. Any act tending to confer upon the minority, a power of
veto over the majority, is a negation of democracy and the Government of
St. Lucia will at no time be party to it.”
In the end, Compton won his fight for St.
Lucia’s independence, and received red carpet treatment from supporters
of his party when he returned home from London. (G.E.)
Compton’s election history.
Monday Sept 17, 2007 ---
John Compton dug his political roots in
the eastern sugar belt in 1954 and thanks to his involvement in the 1957
sugar strike, they remained planted there throughout a full half
centrury.
His immense popularity there was
sustained through three generations so much so that when he returned to
the fray for the very last time in the elections of 2006, after being 10
years and two elections away, he was bluntly told by supporters that he
need not organize any major campaign. The result: Compton easily won the
contest by more than 1,000 votes to become the representative of Micoud
North for the very first time.
Compton as an Independent won his debut
election contest in 1954 carrying away 51 percent of the total votes.
But after the 1957 strike his personal popularity soared and in
successive elections his share of the votes was often in excess of 90
percent.
In nearby Dennery, he was able to call
the shots there as well as to who should run that constituency. But all
that changed in 1979 when Compton’s stranglehold on the eastern felt
began to flag. In that year,
1954--MICOUD DENNERY
J.G.M Compton (Ind.) 1404
L. Williams (PPP) 546
James L. Charles (SLP) 402
Francis G. Charles 389
1957-- MICOUD DENNERY
J.G.M Compton (SLP) 3621
Harold F.C.Simmons (PPP) 137
1961 MICOUD-PRASLIN
J.G.M Compton (SLP) 1488
Antoine Theodore (PPP) 96
1964—MICOUD-PRASLIN
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 1532
George Murray (SLP) 80
J.L. Lubin (Ind). 45
1969—MICOUD-PRASLIN
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 2047
George Murray (SLP) 185
1974—MICOUD SOUTH
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 1009
Francis Flood (Ind.) 227
1979—MICOUD SOUTH
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 1221
Raymond Flood (SLP) 469
1982—MICOUD SOUTH
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 1529
Henry. Marquis (SLP) 169
S. Mathurin (PLP) 78
6th. April 1987—MICOUD SOUTH
J.G.M Compton ( UWP) 1589
Henry Marquis (SLP) 289
Lazarus Jn. Baptiste (PLP) 145
30th. April 1987—MICOUD SOUTH
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 1792
Henry Marquis (SLP) 357
1992—MICOUD SOUTH
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 1792
Vernantius James (SLP) 680
2006—MICOUD NORTH
J.G.M Compton (UWP) 2142
Silas Wilson (SLP) 1091
Patrick Joseph (Ind) 110
U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TEAM FOR COMPTON'S FUNERAL
Monday Sept 17, 2007 ---
BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS, --- : President
George W. Bush today announced the designation of a Presidential
Delegation to Castries, Saint Lucia to attend the funeral of Sir
John Compton, former Prime Minister of Saint Lucia tomorrow.
The Honourable Alphonso Jackson, Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, will lead the delegation.
An additional member of the Presidential Delegation is: The Honourable
Mary M. Ourisman, U.S. Ambassador, Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean.
ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES
EULOGIZES SAINT LUCIA’S SIR JOHN COMPTON
Monday Sept 17, 2007 ---With the outpouring of tributes to the
life and times of the late Saint Lucian Prime Minister Sir John Compton,
the Washington-based Organization of American States (OAS) has eulogized
the late Caribbean leader as “a dedicated, sincere and loyal son of the
Caribbean and a genuine integrationist.” Sir John Compton died last
Friday night at the age of 82, following a series of strokes beginning
in May.
Ambassador Albert R. Ramdin, the OAS Assistant Secretary General,
traveled today to Saint Lucia to represent the Organization at Tuesday’s
funeral services for Sir John, remembering him as “a highly principled
and, at the same time, very practical, politician.” Having worked
closely with him on efforts to help resolve threats to democracy in
Haiti and in observing Guyana’s August 2006 presidential elections,
Ambassador Ramdin also singled out Compton’s historic role in the path
to nationhood for Saint Lucia and in its development as an island state.
Ramdin made special mention of Compton’s “tireless efforts in the
interest of regional integration in the Caribbean, especially with
regard to the unity of the small states of the Eastern Caribbean.” He
said that, above all, Compton was a man of the people whose very action
was guided by humility and an abiding love for his country and his
region.
“The fact that he died in office, when most others would have been
enjoying a well-earned retirement, gives you the measure of the man, his
energy and his overwhelming sense of duty,” Ramdin said of Compton, who
had come out of retirement to lead the United Workers Party to victory
in general elections in Saint Lucia last December.
John George Melvin Compton led Saint Lucia to independence from Britain
on February 22, 1979, having previously led the island to associated
statehood. Chief Minister from 1964 to 1967, Premier from 1967 to 1979
and the first Prime Minister of the independent Saint Lucia, Compton
again became Prime Minister form 1982 to 1996, before returning to the
helm of government after last December’s elections.
SIR
JOHN'S BODY IN MICOUD TODAY.
Saturday Sept 15, 2007 --- The
people of Micoud, the tiny east coast village of Micoud are paying their
last respects this weekend to Prime Minister Sir John Compton who passed
away earlier in the month at the ate of 82.
This morning the casket carrying Sir
John’s body was driven on board his own private vehicle to Micoud from
Castries, where his body lay in state for most of Friday to allow first
dignitaries and later the public, to file past the body.
Some mourners regretted not being able to
see Sir John’s face as the casket remained closed, but Prime Minister
Stephenson King explained that this was the wish of Sir John’s family,
over which his Government had no control.
King said he understood the
disappointment of those who wished to have a last look at Sir John’s
body and hoped that before his State funeral on Tuesday, the public will
get that opportunity
Sir John’s body will be in Micoud today
and tomorrow to allow the villagers there to pay their final respects.
It was in Micoud and the nearby village
of Dennery that Sir John rose to prominence in the 1950s when he won his
first general election and took his seat in the Legislative Council
representing both villages.
Over the years, the make up of the
constituency was changed and Micoud was divided into two electoral
districts, North and South. Sir John then represented only the South
until his retirement in 1996. But returning to the political fray in
December last year, Sir John easily held the North seat for his United
Workers Party.
The House of Assembly and Senate held a
special session Thursday to pay tribute to Sir John. During
contributions to the debate at least two Ministers of Government broke
down while speaking about the fallen Prime Minister.
There were several tearful mourners on
Friday as well when the public was invited into the parliament chamber
to pay their respects to Sir John.
Although an Anglican, Sir John’s state
funeral will be held in the Roman Catholic Minor Basilica to facilitate
the large crowd expected to attend. Huge screens will also be erected in
nearby Derek Walcott Square to allow mourners to follow the proceedings.
NO FLOWERS
FOR SIR JOHN.
Saturday Sept 15, 2007 --- The
passing of the late Sir John George Melvin Compton has evoked widespread
expressions of grief in Saint Lucia and overseas. The funeral service
for Sir John will take place on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 at 1:00 p.m.
at the Minor Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Castries.
It is customary on such occasions for well-wishers to express their
sympathy through flowers and wreaths. Whilst such a gesture would be
appreciative, the family of Sir John thinks that he would have preferred
if the resources spent on flowers and wreaths were instead used towards
a needy cause.
With this in mind, the family has established the Sir John Compton
Scholarship Fund, for which an account has been opened at the Bank of
Nova Scotia. The proceeds from this account will be used to assist needy
children in pursuing their education, an issue to which Sir John
committed himself with such passion. The account number is 1011933.
The family would therefore like to encourage all persons and/or
organisations wishing to donate flowers or wreaths, to instead make a
financial contribution to the Sir John Compton Scholarship Fund at
Account Number 1011933 at the Bank of Nova Scotia.
TUESDAY, A NATIONAL DAY OF
MOURNING.
Saturday Sept 15, 2007 --- In
honour and tribute to the late Prime Minister, Sir John G. M. Compton,
the General Public is hereby notified that Tuesday, 18th September, 2007
has been declared a “National Day of Mourning”.
As a result, the Public and Private Sector will be closed for business
on that day.
Office of the Prime Minister.
SIR
JOHN'S BODY IN THE HOUSE OF PARLIAMENT.
Friday Sept 14, 2007 --- The casket
bearing the body of the island's first Prime Minister Sir John Compton
was brought to Parliament this morning as hundreds of Saint Lucians
began filing pass his casket.
From about 7:30 a.m. his body was carried into the Parliament chamber
where he had walked many a time during his life as the Head of
Government. His family was in attendance to receive government
officials, diplomats, friends and the general public who came out to pay
their respects.
THERE
IS A NEW cabinet OF ministers ON SAINT LUCIA.
Members of the new Cabinet.
Wednesday Sept 12, 2007 --- A
new Cabinet has been sworn-in. Their appointments came just three days
after Honourable Stephenson King was sworn-in as the island's new prime
minister.
The new cabinet is not much different from the Sir John Compton's
administration as the service from all members from the last
administration have been retained. Prime Minister Stephenson King
announced his new team at a ceremony held at Government House on
Wednesday September 12th, 2007.
The Honourable Lenard Montoute – Minister for Social Transformation,
Public Service, Human Resource Development, Youth and Sports; Honourable
Keith Mondesir – Minister for Health Wellness, Family Affairs, National
Mobilisation, Human Services and Gender Relations; Senator The
Honourable Ausbert d' Auvergne – Minister for Economic Affairs, Economic
Planning, Investment and National Development; Honourable Ezechiel
Joseph – Minister for Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries, and Forestry;
Honourable Guy Joseph – Minister for Communications, Works, Transport
and Public Utilities; Senator Guy Mayors – Minister for Trade, Industry,
Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Senator Allen Chastanet – Minister for
Tourism and Civil Aviation; Honourable Arsene James – Minister for
Education and Culture; Honourable Richard Frederick - Minister for
Physical Planning, Urban Renewal and Local Government; Honourable Edmund
Estaphane – Minister Labour, Information and Broadcasting; Senator
Nicholas Frederick – Attorney general and Minister for Justice,” Prime
Minister King announced.
Senator the Honourable Tessa Mangal is now the Minister in the Prime
Minister's Office, while Senator the Honourable Gaspard Charlemagne
remains as Minister in the Ministry of Education and Culture.
The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the decisions taken, as far
as portfolios are concerned, will auger well for the country's
development, especially in this budgetary period.
“There are a number of things I had to take into consideration in
realigning the ministries and portfolios. In the configuration which I
have put together, I attempted as much as possible not to destabilise or
disturb the process of the various ministries, so as to allow the
ministries to remain intact, particularly now as they are in the middle
of a budget cycle, to allow them to continue to function so as not to
cause any disturbance in their functioning,” said Prime Minister King.
Mr. King, who said he never had immediate dreams to become Prime
Minister of Saint Lucia, said he accepts the position with great
humility and will endeavour to do his best to the advancement of Saint
Lucia and Saint Lucians.
Mr. Stephenson king new prime minister of saint Lucia.
Mr. Stephenson King (with bible in hand) taking the oath as Prime Minister.
Sunday Sept 09, 2007 --- CASTRIES,
St. Lucia, CMC - Stephenson King has officially taken over the reins of
government here following his swearing in Sunday as St. Lucia’s Prime
Minister.
King who took the oath of office during a low-keyed ceremony at
Government House Sunday, replaces Sir John Compton who died Friday after
several months of illness.
He immediately pledged to carry through the work started by Sir John,
who came back from retirement last year to lead his United Workers Party
to victory.
"I am extremely grateful for the confidence which my Cabinet colleagues
and legislators have bestowed in me in my selection as the successor for
our great leader, and I promise to do my utmost to achieve all of what
he would have wanted for his beloved country in the remainder of this
current term," King told CMC after being sworn in.
The swearing-in was presided over by Governor General Dame Pearlette
Louisy, and attended by members of Cabinet and parliament as well as
other Government officials and King's family.
King, who acted as Prime Minister while Sir John was ill, served as
Minister of Health and Labour from 1987-1992. He stressed that his
immediate focus was celebrating the life of Sir John, who must be
properly honoured for his sterling contribution to the development of
St. Lucia.
He added that following the burial he will turn his attention to making
some changes in the Cabinet.
"I will need to take a look at the current ministerial portfolios to
ensure that there is an even distribution of responsibilities as
possible," he said.
The decision to go with King as head of the Government was reported to
have been agreed to by all 10 elected members of the governing party who
had been meeting since Friday to discuss choosing a successor to Sir
John.
However, inside sources said the discussions were occasionally stormy
with at least two parliamentarians demanding Cabinet posts in exchange
for their support.
King declined comment on the issue stating that the matter could not be
given any priority at this time. CMC
PRIME MINISTER SIR JOHN COMPTON PASSES AWAY.
Sir John taking the oath as Prime Minister.
Saturday Sept 08, 2007 --- Prime
Minister Sir John Compton died at the privately-run Tapion Hospital here
Friday night. He was 82.
Compton had been ill since the beginning of May after suffering a series
of mini strokes, which resulted in him seeking medical treatment in the
United States.
Compton was returned to the island Wednesday after spending four days in
neighboring Martinique where he was rushed following a deterioration in
his condition.
On his return the Government issued a statement saying that his vital
organs were failing and there was little hope of him recovering. It
announced it was beginning to plan for his exit.
Compton served in Parliament for 42 years including 30 years as head of
the government. He came out of retirement last December and led his
United Workers Party (UWP) which he co founded in 1964 to a shock
victory over the St. Lucia Labour Party.
Compton had a long and distinguished career in the politics of St. Lucia
starting in 1954 when he won a seat in parliament as an Independent
candiudate.
Frequently referred to as "The Father of the nation" he led St. Lucia to
independence from Britain in 1979.
He is survived by his wife, Lady Janice Compton, daughter of the
island's first native Governor, and five children.
WATCH OUT ON THIS SITE FOR FULL COVERAGE OF THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SIR
JOHN COMPTON.
STATEMENT BY ACTING PRIME MINISTER
Sir John Compton has exited this world
Saturday, September 8, 2007 – It is with the deepest regret and much
sadness that I inform you of the sad news of the passing of Sir John
George Melvin Compton, Prime Minister of our beloved nation, Saint
Lucia. Sir John passed away this evening at 6:50 at the Tapion Hospital
where he has been ever since his return to the island on Wednesday 5th
September 2007.
Sir John accompanied by his wife Lady Janice Compton, was airlifted to
Martinique by the air ambulance on Saturday September 1st and was
admitted to the intensive care unit of Lamenard Hospital. Despite
receiving the very best medical care in Martinique, Sir John’s situation
deteriorated further and he had to be placed on a ventilator to assist
his breathing.
On Tuesday September 4th the medical authorities in Martinique advised
that nothing more could be done to improve his condition and that no
more medical interventions would be initiated.
Under these circumstances it was suggested that the ultimate courtesy to
Sir John would be to return him to Saint Lucia to spend the time he had
left among his own people.
After consultation with Sir John’s doctors in Saint Lucia, the decision
was taken to bring him home. Sir John was therefore airlifted to Saint
Lucia on the morning of September 5th 2007 and taken to the Tapion
Hospital accompanied by his wife Lady Janice.
Sir John finally succumbed to his illness at about 6:50 on Friday
September 7tj with his family at his bedside. At the time of his death
Sir John was 82 years old.
A committee under the Chairmanship of Former Prime Minister Dr. Bryan
Michael Pilgrim has been formed to plan the funeral arrangements. An
announcement in this regard will be made in due course.
In observance of the passing of Sir John, the nation will observe a
period of mourning which will begin today and will continue for a period
of two weeks. Flags should be flown at half mast for the duration of
this period.
We ask the Lord to bless and to strengthen Lady Janice, Sir John’s
children and his family in this, their moment of bereavement and we ask
the nation to come together as one family, united.
May Sir John’s soul rest in peace and may God bless Saint Lucia.
A PROFILE OF SIR
JOHN COMPTON, THE LATE PRIME MINISTER OF ST. LUCIA
By Guy Ellis
Sir John George
Melvin Compton was the last of a breed of political leaders who emerged
in the Caribbean in the 1950s around the time of universal adult
suffrage when people 21 years and over got the right to vote.
He died at the
Tapion Hospital in Castries, Friday night at the age of 82.
Compton was
regarded as the chief architect of the modern St. Lucia and took the
island from a sleepy, backward colonial state to a regional power in its
own right and leader among the nine-island Organization of Eastern
Caribbean States (OECS).
He also led a
spirited fight in the face of intense pressure from opponents at home,
to take his country to full independence from Britain in 1979.
Born April 29,
1925 in Canouan, Compton was frequently referred to as “The father of
the nation”, an accolade he refused to accept.
“Every country in
the Caribbean has its heroes”, he once said, “but to call any one of
them ‘Father of the nation’ is a misnomer and for any to accept it, is a
display of arrogance”.
Still, Compton was
affectionately known “Daddy Compton” to many St. Lucians, especially to
residents in the twin eastern villages of Micoud and Dennery where he
planted his political roots in 1954 winning an election which sent him
to the then Legislative Council (later House of Assembly) for the first
time.
In later years,
Compton would represent either one or both of the villages in parliament
for 42 unbroken years until he retired in 1996 to return for another
spell in December last year.
He served as head
of the government here on seven occasions, 30 years altogether (1964-79,
1982-96 and again 2006)
In 1954, fresh out
of law school in Britain, and although a member of the then ruling St.
Lucia Labour Party (SLP), Compton chose to contest general elections as
an independent candidate and carried away 51 percent of the vote in a
four-cornered contest.
The 1957 sugar
strike also established Compton’s political base in Micoud and Dennery
for the next four decades to the extent that he easily won every
election he contested there and for a long time, any candidate he chose
to run in any of the four constituencies in that region, was guaranteed
victory. The Labour Party was only able to break this stranglehold in
1979.
In 1961 Compton
fell out with the SLP and formed his own party, the National Labour
Movement (NLM) which three years later merged with the Peoples
Progressive Party (PPP) to form the United Workers Party (UWP).
In June 1964 he
led the UWP to victory over the SLP and became Chief Minister. Three
years later St. Lucia achieved Associated Statehood, a form of semi
independence from Britain and Compton became the island’s first Premier.
This was followed by full independence in 1979 when he became the first
Prime Minister.
In matters of the
island’s sovereignty, Compton was outspoken and uncompromising. At the
London conference which negotiated self government Compton criticized
Britain over its refusal to include issues of aid, trade and migration
in the talks.
He argued that
without this, the new status would be completely meaningless. Then, at
the final formal session of the conference, with several British
government officials around the table, he dropped a diplomatic
bombshell: “The colour of our skins is against us”, Compton told them,
“and a government, even one that professes democracy, is pleased to
legislate and propound the doctrine of second class citizenship for
people of another colour”.
The outburst
caused consternation even within Compton’s own delegation, one member
Sir Garnet Gordon, disassociating himself from it. But Compton said he
had no apology to make to anyone for speaking his mind.
More than a decade
later, Compton was back in London negotiating independence in the face
of strong opposition at home by the SLP.
When it appeared
to him that Britain was taking longer than he had expected in severing
the last constitutional link with St. Lucia, Compton used a similar
setting to let loose. “It is absolutely humiliating and intolerable” he
told the London constitutional conference, for a government that has
been duly elected by the majority of the people of St. Lucia since
1964…..to be traveling at great expense of time and money to the United
Kingdom….like so many mendicants seeking favours from a master”.
In the 1960s
Compton appeared to have designed a mental blueprint for St. Lucia’s
development that included huge investments in infrastructure: highways,
one of which bears his name, air and seaports, utilities, industrial
estates, housing projects, and later a dam, also named after him. He
conceived most of the projects himself and some appeared so grandiose,
if not impossible at the time, that his opponents and skeptics called
him a dreamer.
But in the end
Compton always had the last laugh. Like the time he decided the dredge
several acres of swampland in the north of the island that had become a
breeding ground for flies and mosquitoes and prepare it for development.
Today, the area known as Rodney Bay, is a modern commercial, housing and
industrial community, with several of the island’s finest hotels and
restaurants and a yacht marina.
Compton also took
a lot of pressure for building the causeway that links Pigeon Island to
the mainland. Decades earlier, even his dredging of the Castries Harbour
that now accommodates mega cruise ships today, earned him criticism.
Some say he was
sometimes arrogant, others say it was stubbornness. But Compton, as a
leader, took decisions that he felt were his to take. Some were
unpopular, like refusing to pay public servants higher salaries which he
insisted the country could not afford. He often said that he was more
concerned about the “future of tomorrow’s children rather than today’s
vote.”
Compton trusted
his own judgment ahead of anyone else’s and this is why he proceeded to
undertake development projects, even in the face of criticism and
ridicule. Every single one of these projects turned out to be successful
in terms of the opportunities they created for the people, and their
overall contribution to the nation’s well-being.
With Compton at
the helm, St. Lucia became the leader of the small islands in the
Eastern Caribbean chain that would later comprise the Organization of
Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) and his achievements for his country won
him admiration well beyond the region.
In December 2006,
with his UWP facing the prospect of a third consecutive defeat at the
polls by the SLP, Compton, who had come out of retirement, once again
achieved instant success leading his party to a resounding victory. He
got a new Cabinet together, presented the new government’s first fiscal
budget and seemed set to go out into the sunset quietly leaving behind a
new UWP administration of much younger men and women, that would carry
the torch forward.
But differences
within the party over relations with China-Taiwan and the sharp
divisions which that issue produced, left Compton seriously stunned and
heart-broken. He fell ill at the beginning of May, was hospitalized in
the United States and was unable to resume office when he returned home
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