When I heard that the Honourable Gordon “Butch” Stewart had passed, all that I could say was, “Wow!” Wow in disbelief; Wow in sadness.
Truly, the world has lost a star and the Caribbean a giant; Jamaica has been deprived one of its beloved sons and Antigua and Barbuda one of its staunch friends.
Butch Stewart achieved greatness as a visionary who dreamed dreams; but turned his visions into reality as a practical man of affairs.
He mastered the art of marketing and created Sandals, a globally competitive brand that stands as an incredible and indelible symbol of Caribbean excellence and ingenuity. And his quest for even higher standards led him to create the Sandals Corporate University in 2012.
Butch transformed properties. He sandalised them, as he would say, putting his distinctive mark and ethos of luxury on each of them.
In 1991, he purchased the 90-room Anchorage Hotel and introduced Sandals to Antigua and Barbuda, then expanded the resort in 2007 with the majestic Sandals Mediterranean Village.
Since then, the contribution of Sandals to our economy, through several sectors, has been enormous. And as a corporate citizen, his Sandals Foundation has sponsored and supported many of our educational, sporting and other charitable endeavors.
Butch was a fierce competitor and a tough negotiator. But he was a man of his word and, above all, a genuine patriot of Jamaica and the Caribbean. He was never pretentious, and retained his strong Jamaican accent, using the patois liberally.
He also had an amazing ability to mix at all levels, being as comfortable at the domino table with taxi drivers as he was at the conference table in the boardroom.
His passing leaves a void that will not be easy to fill.
On behalf of the United Progressive Party and on my own behalf, I extend sincere sympathy to Mrs. Stewart, Mr. Adam Stewart and the entire Stewart Family.
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Well said my brother and that picture shows there was a certain camaraderie between Butch and yourself. He was indeed a great Caribbean national that transcended all the parochial boundaries and insularities. Another regional icon has passed. May his soul rest in perpetual peace.
Another point of view could very well be:
“That picture shows there was a certain” spineless politician who allowed a certain hotel to hold on to our ABST monies. The blame lies squarely at the foot of the jellyfish who allowed himself to be hoodwinked.
Condolences to the Stewart family.
HYPOCRISY I would advise you to get your information straight. You guys like to blame Harold Lovell for everything that happened under the UPP Administration. For your information, when the hotel charges were rationalize in 2006, Harold Lovell was not the Minister of Finance. The Minister of Finance then was Dr. Errol Cort so if you really want to blame anyone you can blame him. Although, the rationalization of hotel charges was a decision taken by the Administration, you may wish to blame the Administration and not any one individual and certainly not Harold Lovell. Please go back and do your research on this issue.
It is PUBLIC knowledge that Lovell was hoodwinked into allowing a certain hotel to not pay its full ABST under the guise of “advertising”. No wonder he has LOST MORE ELECTIONS THAN HE HAS WON. He is clearly a walkover and soft like pap. At 67 years of age, it’s time for him to let go of his pipe dream of becoming PM. By the time elections come around, he will be about 70. If for nothing else, for the sake of his HEALTH, give it a rest. The next general elections will put him at 8-2 i.e Lost 8 elections, won 2. His LEGACY has already been fermented: King Lyadd and Worst Finance Minister
Ride off into the sunset like Shane.
HYPOCRISY I have now come to realize that it is difficult to debate with you guys i.e., supporters of the ALP. You have not addressed the issue I raised. You have just gone off on a completely different tangent. Again, Harold was not the Minister of Finance when the new hotel charges were passed and all they were trying to do is to regularize the confusion that Sir Lester left there.
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