Heskeith Alexander dies

Heskeith Andrew Alexander, the former Member of Parliament for the La Plaine Constituency in the Dame Eugenia Charles Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) administration of 1980 to 1995, has died.

He passed away in the United Kingdom last week.

"Mr. Alexander, or Keith as we all called him in the constituency and in the South-East, was what I consider a true son-of –the-soil, a real patriot," said Petter St. Jean, the current Member of Parliament for Laplaine. "Contrary to what some people felt he demonstrated clearly he was capable of achieving much."

Alexander was elected MP for Laplaine, Boetica and Delices for three consecutive terms and served in a number ministerial portfolios including Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries and Co-operatives as well as Community Development, Housing and Social Affairs. He was one of six members of the Dame Eugenia Cabinet. The others were the late ministers Ronan David, Charles Maynard, Alleyne Carbon; Henry George and Sir Brian Alleyne completed the eight-member Cabinet.

Alexander was born at Delices on 1st December 1942 and was educated at the Delices Government School and the Dominica Grammar School. As a young man he migrated to England and lived there for ten years. In the UK he attended the Post Office Engineers Training School in London and worked as a technician with the London Telephone region. On his return to Dominica, he became a farmer was deeply involved in community work in the south-east.

Alexander also attended courses at the St. Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies in Trinidad, the Labour College in Barbados and the International Centre for Technical and Vocational Training in Turin, Italy.

Alexander was the Chairman of: the Delices Village Council; the Eastern District Association of Village Councils; the farmers' Co-operative and the Library and Cultural Group. He was also treasurer of the Church Council. In addition, Alexander was the district manager of the Bay Oil Co-operative.

He received the Meritorious Service Award in 2005 from the Government of Dominica.

He was married and had three children.