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Vere Bird Jr.
Vere Bird Jr. (October 1936 – 31 March 2013) was an Antiguan lawyer and politician who served as chairman of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP) and a government minister. He was the son of Vere Bird, the former Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, and brother of Lester Bird, who later held the same position. Bird entered politics in 1981. Three years later he was elected to the House of Representatives of Antigua and Barbuda, House of Representatives and became Minister of Aviation, Public Information and Public Utilities. As minister, Bird conducted a purchase deal for Dominican water before being made Minister of Public Works and Communications on 1 January 1987. In this role, he oversaw the reconstruction of V. C. Bird International Airport, which was the subject of controversy. This led to conflict within the ALP, but Bird remained a minister. He was later removed from Cabinet after a scandal in which Israeli weapons, sold to Antigua and Barbuda, were found in the hands of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Yearwood
Robin Yearwood is an Antiguan politician and member of the Antigua Labour Party (ALP). Entering Parliament in 1976, Yearwood served as Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in the ALP administration until a cabinet reshuffle in 1987 saw him take over Vere Bird, Jr.'s portfolio for Aviation, Public Information and Public Utilities. Despite a failed attempt to oust the Prime Minister he retained this position, and kept it when he became Deputy Prime Minister on 9 September 2002 and Minister of Finance a year later. Following the ALP's loss in the 2004 election, Yearwood was one of only three ALP members left in the lower house, and became Leader of the Opposition. He held this position until 2006, when he was replaced with Steadroy Benjamin. Early career Yearwood was first elected to Parliament in 1976, for the seat of St. Phillips North, which he still holds. He entered Cabinet-level politics on 29 May 1980, when he was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Land and Fisheries in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |