DLP remembers Sir Lloyd

Tributes continue for late former leader at party headquarters By Shamar Blunt The late Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford was remembered as a gentleman who never wavered in his love and respect for and commitment to this nation, and his contribution to education even prompted a call for the Barbados Community College (BCC) to be renamed in his honour. These tributes flowed on Thursday, more than two weeks after his death at the age of 86, as his body lay in state at the headquarters of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) in George Street, Belleville, St Michael. Party members – veterans and the younger brigade – joined other Barbadians who attended the viewing that began just after 10 a.m. to pay their respects. DLP President Ronnie Yearwood, who released an official statement in which he apologised for not being able to attend either the viewing or Sir Lloyd’s State funeral on Friday because of an assignment in China, said the vision and sense of service of “one of the great statesmen of our country” will never be forgotten. “As we say our final goodbyes, let us apply the lessons he has taught us through his life of service to our beloved country and Democratic Labour Party. Sir Lloyd was a man of both vision and detail; a combination not often seen in leaders, and we are grateful to have benefitted from his sound leadership. His personal and professional sacrifice to do right by party and country shall never go unrecognised,” he said. Among the Barbadians who came out to pay their respects was Angela Withers. “I am here to see Sir Lloyd for the final time. I am from Bayville, St Michael, not in his constituency because the part [where] I live is The City and he was St Michael South, but he used to come around to us, and in my view, I know he was a good Prime Minister,” she said. Another view, Sensela Arthur, added: “Sandiford believed in education for Barbados. He really tried hard for our education system, and he was a very good Prime Minister to me; one of the best. A very decent gentleman.” General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration, David Denny, a former member of the DLP, recalled serving as vice president of the Young Democrats when Sir Lloyd was Prime Minister. “[He] had a very good impact on education and also community development and political education,” he said. Patricia Doughty told Barbados TODAY she will remember the late PM for being a down-to-earth individual. “He always gave a listening ear to everyone. He treated everyone at the same level. He [was] the best Minister of Education; one of the very best. Even if he did not come into the political [arena], education would [still] be number one for him,” she said. As he waited in line to get a glimpse of the late leader, Chairman of the Alliance Owners of Public Transport Roy Raphael said he remembered Sir Lloyd as a teacher at the Barbados Community College (BCC) and suggested that the tertiary institution be renamed in his honour. “As a youngster, he was one of the people who helped shape me in the area of leadership. He would have seen the potential in me as a young community leader at the time – I was the head of the Eden Lodge Community Council – and often we would be in the staff room, and he would give me some inspiration on how to go ahead and do certain things. He was a man that was not afraid to speak. He would stand up for what he thinks is good,” he said. “I think he was well received in Barbados as Prime Minister. The tributes are there, the legacy is there. I believe the time has come for the Government to continue his legacy, [maybe] in naming the Barbados Community College after him.” Former Foreign Affairs Minister Maxine McClean said that while the late Prime Minister would be remembered for his contributions to education, it is his early work in tackling the issue of climate change that she will remember most. “One of the things I think about as well is if you go back to 1994 when we had the Small Island Developing States conference at the then Sherbourne, now the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, that was also pathbreaking in terms of the recognition of the vulnerability of small islands; the whole issue of climate change, and the challenges it poses to countries like ours,” she recalled. “If we look at his commitment to a policy of people-centred government and governance, with a bedrock of education, that in my mind was it. I think for me his legacy was not only where he served but how he served – humble, committed, not focused on self-aggrandisement but more on service to country and to people.” shamarblunt@barbadostoday.bb]]>