Robinson has died
By Multimedia Desk
April 09, 2014 – trinidadexpress.com
Former President and Prime Minister Arthur NR Robinson has died.
Robinson, who had been ailing for several months, passed away at the St Clair medical Centre at around 6 a.m. He was 87.
His passing was confirmed by National Security Minister Gary Griffith who said a State funeral was being planned.
Born in Tobago in 1926, he became T&T’s third president, serving from 19 March 1997 to 17 March 2003. He was also Trinidad and Tobago’s third prime minister, serving in that capacity from 18 December 1986 to 17 December 1991.
Robinson held the distinction of being the first active politician to be elected president.
His life was punctuated with numerous accolades, gaining international recognition for his proposal that eventually led to the founding of the International Criminal Court.
Full Article : trinidadexpress.com
Arthur NR Robinson, former President and Prime Minister, passes
By Gerard Best
April 09, 2014 – guardian.co.tt
Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson has died, aged 87.
Robinson is a former Prime Minister and President of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and is one of the most experienced parliamentarians in the Caribbean region.
He served as President of the Republic from 1997 to 2003. During that tenure, he was called upon to decide which political party would form the government after the election results produced a deadlock of 18 seats for the two main political parties.
He was a founder of the National Alliance for Reconstruction of Trinidad and Tobago, which he led to victory in the elections of 1986 when he became Prime Minister until December 1991. As Prime Minister, Robinson was responsible for the economic and financial measures that brought economic improvement to his country after a seven-year period of progressive decline.
During the 1990 coup d’état attempt by the Jamaat al Muslimeen the Prime Minister Robinson and much of his Cabinet were held hostage for six days by gunmen under the leadership of Yasin Abu Bakr. When instructed to order the army to stop firing on the Red House (the seat of Parliament where they were held hostage) Robinson instead instructed them to “Attack with full force”, an action that earned him a severe beating from his captors. He was also shot in his leg.
He was also responsible for several Caribbean initiatives, including the Caribbean Regional Economic Conference, the proposed Caribbean Court of Appeal and the West Indian Commission chaired by Sir Shridath Ramplal, former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. He has represented Trinidad and Tobago at many international conferences and at the United Nations where he has been acknowledged as a leading proponent of an International Criminal Jurisdiction.
From 1976-1986 he led the struggle for decentralization and devolution of authority to Tobago. He was the first Chairman of the (restored) Tobago House of Assembly and was a representative of the constituency of Tobago East in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago.
As Minister of Finance from 1961-1967, Mr. Robinson was responsible for the restructuring of the country’s financial institutions and the reform of financial and monetary policy on the achievement of independence by Trinidad and Tobago.
Mr. Robinson is the holder of two international awards: The Distinguished International Criminal Law Award of 1977 and the Distinguished Human Development Award of 1983.
Mr. Robinson attended the Castara Methodist School where his father, James A. Robinson was headmaster. From there he was the first Bowles Scholar to Bishop’s High School, Tobago, in 1939, and later the first House Scholarship winner from Bishop’s High School in 1942. As a candidate for island scholarship from Bishop’s High School in 1944 and 1945, Mr. Robinson obtained the Higher School Certificate in both years with Distinction in Latin.
Continuing his studies in Tobago, Mr. Robinson gained admission to the Bachelor of Laws Degree of London University as an external student in 1949. In 1951, he left for the United Kingdom where he gained admission to the Inner Temple and passed the bar final examinations in 1953. That same year he was admitted to St. John’s College, Oxford, where he obtained a good Second Class Honours Degree in two years in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
Mr. Robinson was admitted to practice as a Barrister-at-Law in Trinidad and Tobago in 1955 and was in the Chambers of Sir Courtney Hannays from 1957 to 1961. He was elected to the Federal Parliament in 1958 and to the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament as representative for Tobago in 1961.
Mr. Robinson has been a representative of Trinidad and Tobago on the Council of the University of the West Indies and a director of Trinidad and Tobago’s Industrial Development Corporation. He served as the first Minister of Finance of this country after Independence and later as Minister of External Affairs. He has been a consultant to the United Nations Secretary-General on crime and the abuse of power.
Mr. Robinson was a director of the Foundation for the Establishment of an International Criminal Court for over 15 years.
Full Article : guardian.co.tt
Trinidad’s ex-PM Robinson dies
Port of Spain – Trinidad and Tobago’s former Prime Minister and President A.N.R. (Ray) Robinson, one of the architects of the International Criminal Court, died on Wednesday at age 87 after a long illness.
Robbie at Peace with Pat
Arthur Napoleon Raymond Robinson, the boy from Castara, Tobago, who later became President, died yesterday at the age of 87.
Raving tributes as Robinson passes on
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says a full state funeral is to be held for former president and prime minister Arthur NR Robinson who died yesterday after ailing for months. Persad-Bissessar made the disclosure following a 45-minute visit to Robinson’s Ellerslie Park, Maraval, home yesterday, where she met with his daughter Ann Margaret Robinson and his granddaughter Anushka.
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/news/Panday-skipping-funeral-254662391.html
Thanks Auntie Kamla, for once again, showing the people of T&T, that their faith in you , was not wasted.Here is a woman ,and yes, new aged leader, who -politics or not-unlike her evil, now ,socially irrelevant mentor , better appreciate , the true essence of ‘NATION BUILDING,’via big picture politics, or is it more so ”big people politics?’
We in the civilize world , call this showing respect, Basdeo!
If still curious , as to why our T&T , can never advance , and would forever remain, an insignificant , backward ,3rd World , under achieving peon,then look no further.
Oh yes Basdeo, and we the astute , also know why both you , and your equally vindictive , drinking, cross tribal Sando, phony Christian buddy, Patrick Manning , were both absent ,on that fateful day in Parliament, when Islamist goons-with the help of not too closeted , Business, Political, and Religious scoundrels- invaded , with evil intent , re our Democracy.
We won’t speculate, as to why the then sitting Islamist President ,Noor Hasanalli, or the eventual high end lawyer of Lennox Phillip, aka Yasin Abu Bakr,and Panday,in former AG Ramesh Maraj, were out of the country.
It ain’t too difficult to figure out, why no justice was served for this true patriot, and selfless hero, by both your administration, and that of fellow nepotist Patrick Manning , during your respective tribal turf wars , and power grabs, in furtherance of the self interests, of much adored, respective cronies .
The way you ungrateful bastards, have treated this globally respected icon, while he was alive , is symptomatic of how you all, have treated his Island /country of birth- Tobago.I am talking about utter contempt,disrespect, and derision!
Trust me when I say however, that the usually patient, kindhearted , neo spiritual folks , from the historically neglected Island Ward , are taking poignant notes, and just like ANR allegedly did to you -while President , as a backlash/payback, for your direct role ,in helping to destabilize our country via idiotic , tribal , refugee cries ,smear campaigns , and eventually topple his government .They too will get their revenge, at the appropriate time.
The rejected stone , will become the cornerstone.
We know for a fact why you, and similar neo tribal , country haters , are against his CCJ dream project, wherein, we would have taken a step forward, just like Guyana, and Barbados , to remove the anachronistic Privy Council-which is essentially, just another mantle of British,neo imperial domination.
We know for a fact ,that if 90% of the Tobago population, could have traced their ancestral roots , to any where else on Planet Earth, but Africa, they too would have shared financially,in the abundant natural resources , we as a country , collectively, were blessed with.
You and kind , can continue to keep seeing Tobago , as just another miserable, over dependent Borough, only valuable, come election time, or typical foolish holiday escapades, but once more , let me reiterate-this too shall end!
Hopefully a time would come, when socially comatose Global Africans, would realize that an attack on one , is an attack on all.
Hopefully the time is near, when folks , co existing -especially-in the Global South ,where multi ethnic Democracy like ours prevail, would recognize, that nation building , or rather Sustainable Development,will forever be an elusive dream, if only one economic sector, tribal segment of the population ,and regional enclave ,is advanced, at the expense of ‘the other.’
May we all live on because of the legacy, we fostered , while alive.
‘De journey now start,’ fellow citizens.
Long live the Republic of T&T!
I luv this land,Y tu?