THE POLITICS OF CHARACTER

“IamAfraidofnochargeagainstme!EverythingIhavedoneinmy publiclifehasbeendoneonthebasisofprinciple!Andwhenyoustandon principle,thecourtsoftheworldmaypunishyou.”

Sir Lloyd was speaking in Bridgetown on Thursday (in 2005) at a symposium entitled “Mighty Men Meeting – My Challenges, My Conquests”

Sir Lloyd Sandiford should be remembered as one thing, he was truly a Prime Minister of character who understood the Westminster model. He was first among equals and he exercised that prerogative. He responded to the critics by performing and distinguishing himself as a leader. The leadership offered at the time was of necessity. The ability not to ‘buckle’ was a character that I admired. I will not remember the late Prime Minister for his pioneering legislation or his desire to revolutionize education but for his character. He was truly a humble gentleman.

He was a Prime Minister, punished for doing the right thing.

Fresh out of secondary school and no interest in public life, I met Sir Lloyd through the news. He was the news. I remember watching the news and hearing a clip which caught my attention.

‘They were adamant, and I was adamant, and something had to give.’ These were the words of the leader who became a source of national contention. For me those words said first among equals rule applies.

When Sandiford also known as Sandi succeed the late Right Excellent Errol Walton Barrow, I was still at secondary school. In those years leading up to 1994, Sandi remained the news. His leadership of Barbados shaped my views in state governance and the notions of power. It also revealed the power of the media in reporting and the science associated with creating and writing stories which was a true eye opener.

I first met the late Sir Lloyd sitting at a table upstairs in the DLP’s then Executive Council Room. He was flanked by the late Sir Branford and the late David Thompson. It was a water shed moment for me as I had volunteered to engage in public service. It was the first time I also had reason to enter the George Street Mecca Little did I know that I would spend next 25 years in political and public tutelage.

The early 1990s was however a period of news in full blast. The papers of the past carried labels of an errant schoolteacher and an obsession with his glasses which apparently are now in fashion.

I am now left with the memory of the late Sir Lloyd as a man Herculean policy and political commitment. A man who stood tall and reminded the public that he was willing to put Barbados and its people first.

The late Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford, a great Prime Minister was modest in his posture and humble in his life. The advent of suggesting a wage cut as a means to assist the government’s expenditure was met with organized marches where the unions, private sector and opposition parties banded together in solidarity against the wage. It was open season for the opponents of the then Prime Minister. His proposed limited 8% cut was historic. The distraction offered then is embellished in history but what is lacking is the legitimacy of a policy decision that saved our country.

Sandiford was not one to raise his voice, but his character was raised along his political journey. As you passed his classroom at BCC, an institution which he carved out of necessity as an alternative to mainstream 6th form schools… You could barely hear his voice in the corridor as he delivered his lecture in Core 102. His definition of a constitution remains foremost in my mind as it is shared in many of the classes I had the honor of teaching alongside him. His publication of Politics and Society in Barbados and the Caribbean: An Introduction, was a must for any student of Core 102. The ability to move from being a Prime Minister to BCC and continue his journey as a teacher spoke to his character. This is the Prime Minister I knew and admired.

Rest in peace ‘Man of Character’ and rise in glory.

BY:GeorgeAPilgrimB.AMSc.J.P PrincipalConsultantGovernanceand PublicPolicy

Part–timelecturer UniversityWestIndiesCaveHillCampus

FormerGeneralSecretary DemocraticLabourParty