- Owen Arthur
-
The Right Honourable
Owen Seymour Arthur
MP
Arthur at the 2005 Summit of the Americas. Leader of the Opposition (Barbados) Incumbent Assumed office
18 October 2010Prime Minister Freundel Stuart Preceded by Mia Mottley Constituency Saint Peter 5th Prime Minister of Barbados In office
6 September 1994 – 16 January 2008Monarch Elizabeth II Governor General Nita Barrow
Clifford HusbandsDeputy Mia Mottley Preceded by Erskine Sandiford Succeeded by David Thompson Personal details Born 17 October 1949
BarbadosPolitical party BLP Spouse(s) Julie Arthur Residence Ilaro Court 1994 - 2008 Profession Economist 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.
Contents
Early life and education
Arthur was educated firstly, at The Coleridge and Parry Boy's School and then later Harrison College, Barbados 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.
Political career
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."[1]
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.
See also: Republicanism in BarbadosLeader 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.[2] Despite the party's defeat, Arthur was re-elected to his own seat from St. Peter constituency with 65% of the vote.[3] He also said that he felt he could still contribute to CARICOM.[4] 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 Mottley was chosen as the new party leader. Arthur said that he intended to serve out his parliamentary term.[5]
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.
Honours and awards
Arthur is a recipient of the Order of José Marti of Cuba.
Owen Arthur with George W. Bush
See also
References
- ^ JCPC (1995) "Privy Council Members" Judicial Committee of the Privy Council http://www.privy-council.org.uk/output/Page76.asp#a. Retrieved 21 June 2010
- ^ "Thompson sworn in as Barbados PM", Xinhua, January 17, 2008.
- ^ Election result page for St. Peter constituency.
- ^ "Arthur: Still a role for me", nationnews.com, January 18, 2008.
- ^ Trevor Yearwood, "MIA TAKES OVER", nationnews.com, January 20, 2008.
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 Newspaper
Preceded by
Erskine SandifordPrime Minister of Barbados
1994 – 2008Succeeded by
David ThompsonPrime Ministers of Barbados 
Categories:- 1949 births
- People educated at Harrison College (Barbados)
- Living people
- Prime Ministers of Barbados
- Members of the Senate of Barbados
- Leaders of the Barbados Labour Party
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- University of the West Indies alumni
- Barbadian republicans
- Members of the House of Assembly of Barbados
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