Sir Manuel Esquivel Remembered

Kevin Herrera

News Five spoke with some of the attendees of Sir Manuel’s State Memorial this afternoon.  They reflected on their time they shared with him and the legacy he leaves Belize.

Senator Kevin Herrera

“I think he was the very personification of what public service should be: honesty, integrity, telling people what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear. He certainly taught all of us what I think the ideals should be and now it’s up to us to try to live and emulate some of that.   Many of the things he has set in place are still with us today, many of the initiatives that came under him like the Commercial Free Zone, and the EPZs and all those things had come out of the efforts in I think his first term.”

Ramon Witz

Ramon Witz, Former Government Minister

“I got to work with him professionally from the 90s, you know, we were very close friends; he was my mentor. At the time when the UDP had lost the election in 1998 he actually gave me the opportunity to come over to Price and Company, where I remained for seven to eight years before going into full time campaigning prior to the 2008 elections. We were very close friends – a great man, a wonderful person, a loss not only for Belize but even for me as a friend.”

Chester Sutherland, Former Body Guard to Sir Manuel Esquivel

“It wasn’t difficult, however it was long hours of working, traveling all over the country, so it was indeed long hours.”

Chester Sutherland

Marion Ali

“What was it like working with him?”

Chester Sutherland

“It was fun, let’s put it that way. Sir Manuel Esquivel was not the person who makes you feel as if though you’re not doing your job. He left it up to you. He put that trust on every person who worked with him as his security and there are others who worked for him as his security and I think I should take this opportunity also on behalf of Sir Manuel Esquivel’s wife, (children) Laura, Ruth, David and the grandchildren, thanks for the service they provided for him during his term as Prime Minister.”

June Heusner

June Heusner, Worked with Sir Manuel Esquivel

“He was very influential with us starting the U.D.P. Cayo South Division. One of the first meetings we had was with him and we carried through and he sent his team to teach us about organizing the division, and the friendship has gone on forever until now.”

Marion Ali

“People have said that he was not a typical politician.”

June Heusner

“Oh, he had such a beautiful heart. Politicians have beautiful hearts too but he had a beautiful heart. I babysat his children and so that made us a bit closer, he and Kathy and I. So, we go back so many years. When U.D.P. won, he appointed me to the first board of RECONDEV.”