REFLECTIONS BY HIS EXCELLENCY EDWIN W. CARRINGTON, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE CARIBBEAN COMMUNITY, ON THE DEATH OF DAVID DE CAIRES, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, STABROEK NEWS

(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Since our first meeting in 1992, I have held David De Caires in high esteem; a fact so well known that my staff contacted me with the news of his passing, even though I was away from Headquarters on official travel.

Much has been said about his posture in relation to media and democracy. While that was his avocation, my interaction with David De Caires was never on a specific subject; rather, given his breadth of knowledge and his phenomenal range of interest in matters regional and global, I found our conversations stimulating, informative and at all times challenging.

Ironically, only a few weeks ago, I discussed with colleagues and staff my intention to convene a meeting with media policy-makers in the Region on issues current, critical, and relevant to the Caribbean Community. In that discussion, the name David De Caires was pre-eminent, not just because of the esteem in which he was held in the Community, but because, despite his reduced levels of physical activity recently, his mental acuity would definitely have served as a catalyst for new ideas in such a forum. Given his passionate commitment to public discourse, I am keen that such an event should now take place, more than ever, and perhaps dedicated to the memory and legacy of David De Caires.

With the passing of David De Caires, I feel a personal loss. I affirm for his widow, Doreen, and the wider De Caires family, the strength to cope with his death by celebrating his life of service.