The late Right Honourable George Cadle Price, Prime Minister of Belize

It is with sadness that I learned of the death yesterday of the Rt. Honourable George Cadle Price, the first Prime Minister of an independent Belize who was considered the “Father of the Nation” and was one of the principal architects of its independence.   

On my own behalf and that of my colleagues and the Government and people of The Bahamas I offer condolences to the family of the former Prime Minister as well as to the Government and people of Belize.  

In 1961 George Price became First Minister of Belize (then known as British Honduras) subsequently serving as Premier after the attainment of internal self-rule.  In 1981 after independence he became Prime Minister.  Having served as Prime Minister and in Opposition since 1981 he retired from active politics in 1996.     

In 2002, for his service to Belize, George Price became the first person to receive his country’s highest honour, the Order of National Hero. He was also conferred with the Order of the Caribbean Community for his service to Caricom and the people of the Caribbean and received various honours from a number of governments in the Caribbean and Central America.  

The Bahamas joins the Belizean people, Member States of Caricom, and the wider Caribbean, as well as the regional and international community in expressing profound gratitude for the life of George Price and the role he played in the promotion of human dignity, human rights and human development throughout the world.