#Kingston, June 17, 2019 – Jamaica – Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, has hailed the late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga, for his contribution to the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
He said that Mr. Seaga was
instrumental in reviving the integration movement in 1982, when Jamaica hosted
the first Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM after a
seven-year hiatus.
Mr. Seaga’s efforts, he noted,
served to reinvigorate the integration process.
“Seaga managed to convene a meeting of the
CARICOM Heads and to, as it were, bring back some new life to the importance of
the leaders’ meeting, even if they would not agree on all the issues,” he said.
Dr.
Harris was speaking with JIS News at
the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) on Friday (June 14), where he signed the
Condolence Book for Mr. Seaga.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister, in
reflecting on the life and career of Mr. Seaga, said
that the late former Prime Minister made an indelible contribution to
the development of Jamaica in many spheres throughout his 43-year political
career.
“When we think of the life and
times of Eddie Seaga, we measure a man who has been resilient throughout the
times,” he said.
Dr. Harris described Mr. Seaga’s
career in politics as “long and colourful”.
“He served at the highest office
of Government as the Prime Minister of Jamaica for two terms and had been,
perhaps, one of the longest-serving leaders of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).
A man with such a pedigree will certainly long be remembered by the people of
Jamaica and the people of the region,” he noted.
Dr. Harris said Mr. Seaga’s legacy lives on
through the prolific documents, books, scrapbooks and other memorabilia
accumulated during his years in public service. Some of these are housed at the
University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus.
Upon his retirement from
public life, Mr. Seaga was appointed as a Distinguished Fellow at the Mona
Campus, and was later named Chancellor at the
University of Technology in 2010.
“We hope that… his writings will help to
provide thoughts that we, as young politicians still learning, will better
understand the dynamics of political life, how to hone our own space and to
create better legacies for our people, not just in our member states, but in
the Caribbean region,” Dr. Harris said.
Mr.
Seaga was Jamaica’s fifth Prime Minister, serving from October 1980 to February
1989. He died
on May 28, 2019 at the age of 89.
Contact: Rochelle Williams
Release: JIS
Photo Caption: Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (right) looks on as Prime Minister of Saint. Kitts and Nevis, Dr. the Hon. Timothy Harris, signs the Condolence Book for the late former Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Edward Seaga, at the Office of the Prime Minister on Friday (June 14).
Photo credit: M. Sloley