354/2019
Basseterre, St Kitts, April 22, 2019 – Leader of the Opposition in St Kitts and Nevis, the Rt Hon Dr Denzil L Douglas says the phenomenal richness of the legacy of the late Sir Alister McIntyre should “inspire countless present and future leaders, and continue to reverberate deep into our future.”
Paying tribute to the Grenada-born for secretary general of CARICOM, former prime minister Douglas expressed sorrow on the sudden passing of Sir Alister, “an outstanding Caribbean luminary whom we can all claim.”
“The memory of Sir Alister will be immortalized by the monumental contribution that he made to the regional integration movement in the various capacities in which he served: as CARICOM Secretary General during its time of transition from a Free Trade Association into the Caribbean Community; as former Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies where he provided sterling leadership that has led to the elevation and transformation of this important academic institution and as an international civil servant where he championed the (Small Island Developing States) SIDS perspective as Deputy Secretary General of UNCTAD and Assistant Secretary General in the Office of the Director General for International Economic Cooperation at the United Nations,” Dr Douglas said in a statement Monday.
Dr Douglas said the “the name of Sir Alister McIntyre will forever endure in our collective memory as one of the Titans of our post-independence Caribbean civilization.”
“In my capacity as Leader of the Opposition of St. Kitts and Nevis, and indeed on my own behalf, I wish to extend heartfelt condolences to the wife and children of Sir Alister McIntyre as well as his extended family, and friends. May the Peace of Christ be with you during your time of grief. May his soul rest in eternal peace,” Dr Douglas said.
Sir Meredith Alister McIntyre was a venerable Grenada-born Caribbean economist specializing in development issues and a defender of regional economic integration in the English-speaking Caribbean. A highly celebrated West Indian academic and intellectual, and considered one of the great social thinkers of his time, he piloted the movement for integration as Secretary-General of CARICOM from1974-1977, and as Vice Chairman of the West Indian Commission.
Sir Meredith Alister McIntyre was born was born in St. Georges, Grenada on 29 March 1932. He graduated with first-class honours from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1957.
He was an economics professor at the University of the West Indies (UWI) and was vice rector of the institution from 1978 to 1988. He also taught courses at Princeton and Columbia Universities in the United States. He was the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship. He also served as director of the Economic and Social Research Institute at the UWI from 1967 to 1974.
He was highly acclaimed as a developmental economist and his foremost contribution as a scholar was to the University of the West Indies as Lecturer and Vice-Chancellor from 1988 and as Director of the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) between 1967 and 1974.
His academic career extended to the reputable Princeton University and Colombia University where he was Assistant Professor and Fulbright Fellow, respectively.
Sir Alister McIntyre served his community with distinction as a renowned scholar with many publications pertinent to Caribbean developmental issues.
Beyond academia, he was secretary general of CARICOM from 1974 to 1977, where he actively promoted an integrationist agenda. He was able to position the Caribbean region on the world scene and made a significant impact on the international arena through the many high level posts he held in various UN organisations and in a consultative capacity to Regional and International Financial Institutions, such as the IDB and the World Bank.
He has spoken and published widely, among his titles are “The Effects of Reverse Preferences on Trade Among Developing Countries” (1974); “The Political Economy of Independence for the Leeward and Windward Islands” (1975); “The Role of the Economic Integration Process in Regional Development: The Caribbean Experience” (1976); “Review of Integration Movements in the Third World with particular reference to the Caribbean Community” (1983); “Opening our Windows to the World” (1992); and “Trends in the International Business Environment: Guidelines for the Caribbean Private Sector” (1993).
McIntyre was knighted by the queen of England in 1992. In 1994, he received the prestigious Order of the Caribbean Community medal the same year. He has been twice honoured by the Government of Jamaica, including receipt of the order of Merit (OM) and has also received the National Honours of the Government of Guyana (the Cacique Crown of Honour); the Gleaner’s Award: the Chancellor’s 50th Anniversary Medal for Excellence.
In 2009, the Center for Multi-Racial Studies at the UWI in Cave Hill was renamed the Alister McIntyre Building, located in the CARICOM Research Park. The Alister McIntyre Building houses the archives for the former West Indian Federation, as well as many documents related to the economic integrationist movement in general.
Sir Alister was married to wife Marjorie, and was the father of four children – Arnold, Andrew, Helga and Nicholas.
Sir Alister died on 20 April 2019 in Jamaica. He was 87.
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*This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKN PULSE. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical errors within press releases and (or) commentaries. The views contained within are not necessarily those of SKN PULSE
*This article was posted in its entirety as received by SKN PULSE. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical errors within press releases and (or) commentaries. The views contained within are not necessarily those of SKN PULSE
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