Former Prime Minister Sir Manuel Receives Stately Send-Off

The ceremonies honoring Belize’s second Prime Minister, the late Doctor Sir Manuel Esquivel culminated today when the urn with his remains was slowly carried from his residence on Daly Street to the Government House in Belize City. Here’s News Five’s Marion Ali with a report on the State Memorial.

Marion Ali, Reporting

The twenty-one cannon blasts symbolically marked the send off of Right Honourable Sir Dr. Manuel Esquivel, Prime Minister of Belize 1984-1989 and 1993-1998. The State Memorial preceded a mini concert comprising some of Sir Manuel’s favourite musical pieces, fittingly reflective of the integral role that music played throughout his life.

Joining the Esquivel family and friends at the State Memorial were Prime Minister John Briceño, Former Prime Minister, Right Honourable Dean Barrow, Leader of the Opposition, Moses “Shyne” Barrow, former Ministers of Government, and Senators. The late former leader’s son, David, shared the family’s remembrance of the man he called dad.

David Esquivel

David Esquivel, Son of Sir Manuel Esquivel

“While he is admired across the political spectrum both locally and internationally for his integrity, intelligence and competence, to us he’s just dad.”

Sir Manuel’s successor as U.D.P. Leader, who also went on to become Prime Minister, Right Honourable Dean Barrow shared a bit about the kind of character that embodied his predecessor.

Dean Barrow

Former Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“Any proper framing of Manuel’s life and legacy begins with that most striking of oxymorons: he was an honest politician. Examples abound of his possession of this rarest of qualities, but just stories will suffice. One is of the Corozal businessmen that visited his office to express their gratitude for Manuel’s expansion of the Free Zone and the resultant huge increases in their profits. They knew better than to try to offer Manuel any personal financial token of their appreciation but they wished to make clear that their thanks would mean substantial contributions to the U.D.P.  Manuel stopped him right away.”

Prime Minister John Briceño also conceded that this was a politician that stood for what he believed in.

John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño

“History will find it rather incredible that a high school physics teacher would make this remarkable journey, which would not just see him rise to the highest office in the nation once, but twice. The job as a leader of a nation is not easy. Leading a nation just four years after Independence must have been even more challenging. For sure, our second prime minister on occasions must have longed for those days teaching Science. Perhaps there days when he may have even asked himself what could have motivated him to leave the formation of young men with often turbulence of political leadership and the task of national government. Yes Prime Minister Esquivel stepped boldly on this path facing challenges that were not easy.”

The urn bearing the remains of the late Sir Manuel was given back to the family after the State Memorial. Marion Ali for News Five.