Charch to get CARICOM's highest award

Former Cabinet Minister and CARICOM Ambassador Caricom will receive the Order of Caricom, the region's highest award.

Last August Mohammed received the Order of Trinidad and Tobago, the country's highest honour. And the University of the West Indies awarded him an honorary doctorate in October 2011.

File: Kamaluddin Mohammed at the UWI convocation in October 2011

Mohammed began his political career in the 1940s and joined Eric Williams and a few others to form the People's National Movement in 1956. He served in a variety of cabinet posts and acted as Prime Minister on several occasions.

He retired from active politics following his personal defeat and his party's loss in the 1986 general election that saw the National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR) take office under the leadership of A.N.R. Robinson.

Charch, as he is fondly known, became a senior cabinet minister in the first Williams cabinet in 1956 and served under Williams until his leader's death in 1981. He was the most senior and experienced member of the cabinet at the time and was one of the three Deputy Political Leaders at the time.

However President Ellis Clarke did not appoint him to lead the party as succeed Williams as Prime Minister; that honour went to George Chambers who found it a difficult task to keep the PNM ship afloat.

During the Williams era Mohammed helped create CARIFTA, which was the forerunner to CARICOM. He later served as Minister of West Indian Affairs under Williams.

When the new PNM leader, Patrick Manning, started to rebuild the party he discarded party stalwarts like Mohammed and another senior cabinet minister under Williams and Chamber, Errol Mahabir.

However when Basdeo Panday became Prime Minister he invited Mohammed to return to public life and serve as Caricom Ambassador, a challenge Mohammed gladly accepted.

The nomination for the top Caricom award was made in Suriname last week by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who said Sunday other regional leaders have accepted the recommendation and the award could be made as early as June.

Some of the distinguished West Indians to receive the Order of Caricom are: Sir Shridath "Sonny" Ramphal, Dame Eugenia Charles, Sir Garry Sobers, Derek Walcott, Michael Manley, ANR Robinson, Slinger Francisco (Mighty Sparrow), Lloyd Best and Brian Lara.

Read a tribute to Kamaluddin Mohammed written in 2008