Owen Arthur
Encyclopedia
Owen Seymour Arthur, MP
(born October 17, 1949) was the fifth Prime Minister of Barbados
who was in office from 1994 to 2008 and is the current Leader of Opposition in Barbados. To date, he is the longest serving Barbadian Prime Minister.
He was the leader of the Barbados Labour Party
, from 1994-2008 which brought him to victory in general elections in September 1994. He won general elections again in January 1999 and 2003. In the 2008 general election
, his party lost the elections to the Democratic Labour Party
and their leader David Thompson
. Arthur is currently the member of parliament for the constituency of Saint Peter.
and then the University of the West Indies - Cave Hill, Barbados and Mona, Jamaica where he earned a BA
degree in Economics
and History
(1971) and an MSc
degree in Economics (1974). After graduating he held positions with Jamaica's National Planning Agency and the Jamaica Bauxite Institute before returning to Barbados and joining the Ministry of Finance and Planning in 1981.
"Right Honourable."
One of the main platforms of Prime Minister Arthur for the 2003 elections was his promise to transform the country into a Parliamentary republic
, replacing Queen Elizabeth II
with a Barbadian President as Head of State
. Arthur stated a national referendum would be held in 2005. However, this was pushed back in order to speed up the implementation process for the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy, and the focus of his term was directed to the hosting of Cricket World Cup 2007.
was chosen as the new party leader. Arthur said that he intended to serve out his parliamentary term.
Arthur was given a vote of confidence by 4 of his Parliamentary Colleagues to return to the Leadership of the Barbados Labour Party
after they expressed dissatisfaction with the former leader Mia Mottley
. Arthur was sworn in on the 18th October 2010 as Barbados
' new Opposition Leader.
of Cuba
.
Barbados House of Assembly
The House of Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Barbados. It has 30 Members of Parliament , MPs are directly elected in single member constituencies using the simple-majority system for a term of five years....
(born October 17, 1949) was the fifth Prime Minister of Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
who was in office from 1994 to 2008 and is the current Leader of Opposition in Barbados. To date, he is the longest serving Barbadian Prime Minister.
He was the leader of the Barbados Labour Party
Barbados Labour Party
The Barbados Labour Party is the main opposition party of Barbados. Led by Rt. Hon.Owen Arthur, the BLP holds 9 out of 30 seats in the House of Assembly as of January 2008...
, from 1994-2008 which brought him to victory in general elections in September 1994. He won general elections again in January 1999 and 2003. In the 2008 general election
Barbadian general election, 2008
A general election was held in Barbados on 15 January 2008. A concurrent referendum to determine whether or not to become a republic was initially planned but that vote was postponed....
, his party lost the elections to the Democratic Labour Party
Democratic Labour Party (Barbados)
The Democratic Labour Party is a political party in Barbados, and currently the ruling party of the country. It is led by Freundel Stuart.-History:...
and their leader David Thompson
David Thompson (Barbadian politician)
David John Howard Thompson, QC, MP was the sixth Prime Minister of Barbados from January 2008 until his death from pancreatic cancer on 23 October 2010....
. Arthur is currently the member of parliament for the constituency of Saint Peter.
Early life and education
Arthur was educated firstly, at The Coleridge and Parry Boy's School and then later Harrison College, BarbadosHarrison College
Harrison College may refer to:* Harrison College , a higher education institution based in Indiana with campuses online and in Columbus, Ohio* Harrison College , a secondary school in Bridgetown, Barbados...
and then the University of the West Indies - Cave Hill, Barbados and Mona, Jamaica where he earned a BA
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in Economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and History
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
(1971) and an MSc
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
degree in Economics (1974). After graduating he held positions with Jamaica's National Planning Agency and the Jamaica Bauxite Institute before returning to Barbados and joining the Ministry of Finance and Planning in 1981.
Member of Parliament
He was appointed to the Barbados Senate in 1983 and elected to the House of Assembly in 1984. He was chosen to serve as Leader of the Opposition in 1993 very shortly after giving notice that he was considering departing from politics due to his inability to survive at a satisfactory level on the means of an MP.Prime Minister
From 1994 to 2008, he was the leader of the Barbados Labour Party. In September 1994 the Labour Party won the general elections which made him Prime Minister. He won general elections again in January 1999 and 2003. In 1995 he was appointed a Privy Counsellor which bestowed him the title of"Right Honourable."
One of the main platforms of Prime Minister Arthur for the 2003 elections was his promise to transform the country into a Parliamentary republic
Parliamentary republic
A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a type of republic which operates under a parliamentary system of government - meaning a system with no clear-cut separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches. There are a number of variations of...
, replacing Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
with a Barbadian President as Head of State
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
. Arthur stated a national referendum would be held in 2005. However, this was pushed back in order to speed up the implementation process for the Caribbean (CARICOM) Single Market and Economy, and the focus of his term was directed to the hosting of Cricket World Cup 2007.
Leader of Opposition
In the general election held on 15 January 2008, the Barbados Labour Party was defeated by the Democratic Labour Party, winning ten seats against 20 for the DLP. DLP leader David Thompson was sworn in on 16 January, succeeding Arthur. Despite the party's defeat, Arthur was re-elected to his own seat from St. Peter constituency with 65% of the vote. He also said that he felt he could still contribute to CARICOM. On January 19, he stepped down as BLP leader, saying that he felt an immediate leadership transition would be in the best interests of both the party and Barbadian democracy; former Deputy Prime Minister Mia MottleyMia Mottley
Mia Amor Mottley, QC, MP is a Member of Parliament for the Constituency Saint Michael-North East at Barbados.-Early life:...
was chosen as the new party leader. Arthur said that he intended to serve out his parliamentary term.
Arthur was given a vote of confidence by 4 of his Parliamentary Colleagues to return to the Leadership of the Barbados Labour Party
Barbados Labour Party
The Barbados Labour Party is the main opposition party of Barbados. Led by Rt. Hon.Owen Arthur, the BLP holds 9 out of 30 seats in the House of Assembly as of January 2008...
after they expressed dissatisfaction with the former leader Mia Mottley
Mia Mottley
Mia Amor Mottley, QC, MP is a Member of Parliament for the Constituency Saint Michael-North East at Barbados.-Early life:...
. Arthur was sworn in on the 18th October 2010 as Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
' new Opposition Leader.
Honours and awards
Arthur is a recipient of the Order of José MartiOrder of José Marti
The Order of José Marti is a state honor in Cuba.It has been given to:* Salvadore Allende* Nicolae Ceausescu* Owen Arthur* Gustav Husak* Mengistu Haile Mariam* Robert Mugabe* Erich Honecker* Felipe González* Julius Nyerere...
of Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
See also
- Prime Ministers of Barbados
- Politics of BarbadosPolitics of BarbadosThe politics of Barbados function within a framework of constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions; constitutional safeguards for nationals of Barbados include: freedom of speech, press, worship, movement, and association.Executive power is vested in...
External links
- The Prime Minister of Barbados - official website
- Various Speeches made by Owen Arthur - BLP website
- Some speeches made by Owen Arthur - The Barbados Government Information Service website
- Profile of Owen Arthur - Barbados government portal
- Arthur visits GG - website of the Nation NewspaperThe Daily Nation (Barbados)The Nation Publishing Company Limited is the publisher of the Nation Newspaper, which is the dominant daily newspaper in the country of Barbados. First established in 1973 the Daily Nation is printed daily in colour and distributed at many points around the country...