Former Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Sir Lester Bryant Bird died yesterday.
He was 83.
The Antigua Observer reported that Sir Lester had a long battle with health complications.
A press release from the Office of the Prime Minister indicated that Sir Lester passed at about 6am.
“The administration has also indicated that the acting Prime Minister [Steadroy Benjamin], in consultation with Prime Minister Prime Minister Gaston Browne who returns to the state today, has ordered that all flags be flown at half mast, beginning immediately, and that planning commence for a State Funeral at an agreed-upon date,” the release added.
In response to the news of Sir Lester’s death, President Irfaan Ali noted that the former head of state was “a good friend of Guyana and the Guyanese people.”
“He stood firmly and consistently with us in defence of our sovereignty and territorial integrity, raising his considerable voice in the UN, the Commonwealth and other hemispheric for a,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Ali also said Sir Lester opened the doors of Antigua and Barbuda to many thousands of Guyanese at a time of economic decline here and, in so doing, cemented his legacy as a true integrationist.
“We are indebted to Sir Lester and Antigua and Barbuda, not only for the generosity towards our people at a time of need, but for the unflinching support of Guyana on the international stage,” he added, while noting that the records show that he was highly regarded by all of Guyana’s Execu-tive Presidents with whom he served, from Linden Forbes Burnham to Bharrat Jagdeo.
