First premier of Nevis dies

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas has described Nevis first premier Dr. Simeon Daniel, 78, as someone who had a direct impact on the social, political and economic evolution of the island.
“His was a life in which God-given talents were, through sustained effort and dedication, realized. And with his passing, we mark the end of an important era,” Dr. Douglas said in paying tribute to Daniel who died on Sunday.
Paying tribute to Daniel during a Requiem Mass for late Labour Party stalwarts on Sunday, Douglas noted that Daniel was one of the persons who interacted with the former prime minister Sir Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw and others who have served in his Cabinet at different times.
He said that Daniel, a founding member of the governing Nevis Reformation Party (NRF), had played a significant role in transforming the island for the benefit of Nevisians, and as a result, he had a direct impact on the social, political, and economic evolution of the island.
Daniel died after a prolonged illness and Prime Minister Douglas pledged to Premier Joseph Parry, the present premier of Nevis, “our full support as his colleagues go through this period of mourning as we too of the Federal Government, go through this period of mourning”.
Parry said Daniel, who voluntarily retired from active politics in 1992, had a political career punctuated by a number of major achievements. (CMC)