October 26, 2010 – The Chairman of the Board of Governors of the EurOrient Financial Group (“EurOrient”) Mr. Ron Nechemia extended condolences to the government and people of Barbados over the death of the Caribbean nation's Prime Minister David Thompson.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors learned with sadness of Prime Minister Thompson's untimely death. He passed away on early Saturday morning at his home in Saint Philips with his family by his side. He was only 48.
Mr. Nechemia on Sunday hailed Barbados Prime Minister David Thompson for his commitment to democratic values, a day after he died.
Mr. Ron Nechemia recognizes “Prime Minister Thompson's long-standing commitment to democratic values and justice in the Caribbean and an advocate for wider prosperity and opportunity throughout the region," and he added "On behalf of EurOrient Financial Group and the Board of Governors, I offer my deepest condolences to the people of Barbados on the passing of Prime Minister David Thompson. Barbados has lost a leader and the EurOrient have lost a friend and valued partner.”
Prime Minister Thompson was the youngest ever elected prime minister of the Caribbean island state of 270,000 in 16 January 2008 and his slogan was established on community development. Prime Minister David Thompson has to his credit, the restoration of the Democratic Labor Party to a parliamentary majority.
Prime Minister Thompson had been serving in the government since 1991. Prime Minister Thompson focused his efforts towards decentralizing the government, strengthening social services and empowering the Barbadian economy. Prime Minister Thompson was born in 1961 on Christmas Day and is one of his seven siblings. Prime Minister Thompson is survived by his wife Marie-Josephine Mara and three daughters.
Prime Minister Thompson had been suffering from severe stomach pain since March, but it was not until September that doctors formally diagnosed him with pancreatic cancer.
The Prime Minister Thompson had flown several times to the United States to undergo chemotherapy at New York's Presbyterian Hospital in order to shrink the tumor in his pancreas so it could eventually be removed. He died before the tumor could be removed.
Late last month, Prime Minister Thompson addressed the island nation with its roughly 285,000 citizens in a special audio address in which he, among other things, announced a reshuffle of his Cabinet and appointed Freundel Stuart as Acting Prime Minister.
In the address, Prime Minister Thompson said he chose to do it solely via audio and not on camera because he wanted people to focus on his message, and not on how he looked. This as a result of the chemotherapy he was receiving, causing him to rapidly lose weight.
The 48-year-old prime minister is survived by his wife Marie-Josephine Mara and their three daughters. He was succeeded by his deputy hours after his death.
About EurOrient
Before we get into the heart of the issues, addressed below, it’s probably important to provide some background on our institution, that we believe, will provide context for the type of work we do. We are a global development financial institution, accredited by the United Nations General Assembly on finance for development, which is the highest political body in the world. Our goals are to reduce poverty and uplift the living conditions of the world’s lesser fortunate peoples, people in under developed countries around the world who live on less than $2 a day. More precisely, EurOrient Financial Group is a private sector global development finance institution with an overarching mission to support the economic and social development efforts of the less developed countries as seek to achieve the they, in particular, Millennium Development Goals (“MDGs”).
The EurOrient Financial Group offers us a venue and a forum for those who can provide global leadership and resources to work together to live up to that founding charter and abide by and enforce international rules in service of a feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and mending places that have been broken. EurOrient Financial Group invests in projects and programs that promote social development, build human capacities, and address host government priorities for investments in physical infrastructure that promote and enhance social development. These projects include roads, transportation and communication systems, water, sanitation and other types of investments with social development outcomes such as improved quality of life and increased human knowledge and skills.
