Senate President Alincia Williams-Grant on Tuesday delivered an emotional and deeply personal tribute to former House Speaker Sir Gerald Watt, recalling his mentorship, warmth and enduring influence on Antigua and Barbuda’s legal and parliamentary life.
Williams-Grant told the Upper House that Sir Gerald “took his final breath of life this past weekend,” and said she felt compelled to carefully write her remarks because “it is important.”
She revealed that her professional relationship with Sir Gerald began when she was “a young and budding practitioner” seeking compulsory in-service legal training, after her mother approached him about taking her on as a pupil.
Her first meeting with the senior attorney left a lasting impression.
“I can tell you that walking up those stairs at his chambers on Newgate Street that morning was the first time I can recall experiencing my knees buckling,” she said, describing him as “a giant in the profession,” yet someone whose “warmth and inviting nature” immediately put her at ease.
Williams-Grant said Sir Gerald was exacting but generous, immersing young attorneys in research and legal history, an approach that shaped her own development at the Bar.
“He was very big on research and getting lost lots of hours in the pages of history,” she said, noting that he later agreed “without hesitation” to move the motion for her call to the Bar more than 26 years ago.
Their professional paths crossed again years later in Parliament, where Williams-Grant said they worked side by side for a decade to strengthen the country’s legislative framework.
“We spent another 10 years working here in the Parliament, collaboratively united in purpose to see the improvements of the legislative framework and to serve our country, which we both love,” she told senators.
She said Sir Gerald never sought to dominate those around him, instead encouraging colleagues to grow in confidence and responsibility.
“During this time, Saji never tried to shrink me into his shadow,” she said, recalling how he urged her to attend meetings and represent the institution, even when protocol placed him as head of delegation.
Williams-Grant closed her tribute by reciting lines from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s A Psalm of Life, using the poem to frame Sir Gerald’s legacy as one of purpose and public service.
“The life of Sir Gerald would remind us all, especially us who serve the people, to reflect on the impact of our lives and to live proactively in purpose,” she said.
On behalf of the Senate, she extended condolences to Sir Gerald’s family, colleagues and professional communities, before inviting members to stand for a minute’s silence in his honour.
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He was the most biased speaker the country has ever witnessed.