Opposition against renaming MSJMC after Sir Lester

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Two political parties in Antigua and Barbuda, that rarely agree, have found common ground in opposing the renaming of the Mount St. John’s Medical Centre (MSJMC) after national hero Sir Lester Bird.
The Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda decided on Thursday that MSJMC will be renamed the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre. The information was released in the weekly Cabinet notes which also indicated that Sir Lester was named a senior advisor with ministerial rank following the March 21, 2018, general elections.
“The Honourable Sir Lester Bird, I believe has received enough recognition for his years of work in Antigua and Barbuda…Lester Bird again! What else?” Anthony Stuart, executive member of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) said when he was contacted by OBSERVER media for a comment on the matter yesterday.
An almost similar response came from D. Gisele Isaac, chairman of the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) when she was asked the same question by our reporter.
“I think Sir Lester has gotten many honours already and there are other things on the other side of the honours…including inquiries that were never completed and some that were never started,” Isaac said.
She went on to accuse the Antigua Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) regime of turning national institutions into party institutions noting that UPP will not support such a move.
“I find it ironic that this institution that the Lester Bird administration could not finish, that the Baldwin Spencer administration struggled to finish in an economic recession, to complete and equip – what does Baldwin Spencer get for that?” Isaac asked.
Meanwhile, Stuart also suggested that the government should consider people who have nothing to do with politics. He said there are several people within the health care sector who have made significant contributions to nation building.
“I want to recommend that such a person could be Dr. [Joycelyn] Thomas the mother of Ian Thomas. That lady has given the type of service to this country – working and ensuring that all of us were kept healthy,” Stuart suggested.

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