Former Barbados PM, Caribbean statesman Owen Arthur dies

Former Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur, who served for a record 14 years and was considered a champion of Caribbean, has died. He was 70.

Barbadian government said in a statement that Arthur died on Monday, and it declared three days of mourning.

“Owen Arthur, without a doubt, is one of greatest statesmen of 20th century Caribbean,” University of West Indies said in a statement. “We knew him as a quintessential regionalist and a leader in development ecomics. He was also a humanist with a deep commitment to social justice.”

Leaders across Caribbean praised Arthur’s intellect and efforts to seek unity through a regional trade bloc kwn as Caricom.

“Owen Arthur was passionate about his country and dream of regional integration,” said Andrew Holness, Jamaica’s prime minister.

Arthur served as prime minister from 1994 to 2008, with former ecomist lauded for policies that helped reduce unemployment in Barbados. After retiring from politics, Arthur became a professor at University of West Indies and in January was named chairman of board of directors at LIAT, a regional airline.

Arthur is survived by his wife and two daughters.

(Im: @Smartenergybdos/Twitter)