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Today, we gathered some recollections of that unusual approach of putting country over party, and polity over politics:

Manuel Esquivel may have been the strangest politician ever - rigorous and practical, rather than pandering. Dean Barrow was his Deputy Prime Minister, understudy and eventual successor:

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"There was no way he would ever take the path of least resistance he would Molly coddle no one including the voters - how the hell did such a man succeed so spectacularly to the point where he was a two-term prime minister. It has to be that perhaps because his other qualities - his non-political qualities were so extraordinary."

And probably the first question you're asking is - if he was so extraordinary - how could he retrench almost 800 public officers at Christmas of 1995?

Shane Williams, Produced Esquivel Mini-doc
"Well one of the first stories I heard, can remember in news, I mean stories overall was the retrenchment story and the VAT story. So, I was in middle school at the time when even from that young age, I always knew that I would want to one day meet this man and ask him what was he thinking. So when I got the opportunity to do this interview with him when he was being honoured by Helpage, I finally got the chance to ask him and what I learn was this was a man who trapped in a conflict between the truth of science and the optics and propaganda of politics. In science you have a problem, you have a methodology and you solve it; the country was on a brink of devaluation, the solution was to put in these austerity measures and to save the country from economic crisis, but in politics, it doesn't work that way. You have to factor in how will this poll and how will this affect the next election, so I learn within an hour that Mr. Esquivel was no politician."

Henry Young, Esquivel Cabinet 1993 - 1998
"During the tie of the retrenchment, he did not show how much it affected him, but I am certain in my dealings with him that it affected him gravely;"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"None of us wished the retrenchment, I think we all accepted after he laid there all the facts that retrenchment was necessary, but there was then an issue as to the timing - it came around Christmas time - and we were saying well surely you can wait until sometime into the new year and Manuel Esquivel being Manuel Esquivel said no, this has to happen "I'm not going to waffle, I'm not going to not play it absolutely straight, I'm not going to postponed the inevitable, we are going to do this now and we will take our licks, we expect that people will understand, because people are thinking sentient human beings" so he refused to see matters through a political lens and while it could be infuriating, ultimately you ended up having to respect the man."

But that respect is mostly retrospective - at the time - he was loathed - and the UDP was savaged in the general election of a few years later. You can't mince words, Esquivel was a political failure:

Rt. Hon. Manuel Esquivel, Fmr. Prime Minister
"I had very little interest in propaganda and for many people that was a handicap, because people love propaganda, but and you needed to convince people yes we are doing the right thing, but you're doing the right thing, but not for your own benefit. As a politician you should be doing things what is going to be the best thing for people."

Jules Vasquez
"You and Manuel Esquivel are the strangest people to ever enter politics."

Melvin Hulse, Served in Esquivel Cabinet
"I know, two non-political people."

Jules Vasquez
"Two of the most mismatched people for politics."

Melvin Hulse, Served in Esquivel Cabinet
"I agree with you."

Jules Vasquez
"The consistently is that neither of you all were able to stay in politics for long periods, unlike people like Said Musa, Dean Barrow, George Price."

Melvin Hulse, Served in Esquivel Cabinet
"Because it was about politics."

Jules Vasquez
"And you all were lousy at politics."

Melvin Hulse, Served in Esquivel Cabinet
"We are lousy, we are complete disaster and failure as politicians, done."

A failure as a politician perhaps but an impeccable public figure - a man who defined integrity and rejected venality:

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"It's not something he had to trumpet, it's not something he had to noise abroad, because it was so inherent in him. That was Manuel Esquivel. That is clearly the most outstanding attribute that possess and it was so easily and naturally identified with him that enough said. No need for anything more."

Michael Finnegan, Esquivel Cabinet '93 - 98
"The country was ready for his integrity. The country was ready for his honesty. The country was ready for a new direction. In my view the country was ready for Manuel Esquivel new direction."

And that direction often meant a head on collision against some tough challenges. And that's where Esquivel proved that he was also a strong leader right off the bat when he took office in 1984:

Rt. Hon. Manuel Esquivel, Fmr. Prime Minister
"What we inherited when we came into power, the day we took office the IMF came to the government and said listen, this is what you're going to do. So immediately there was no room to develop. They said this is the state you are in and this is our solution."

Jules Vasquez
"You know he went through some stressful times, certainly 1994 coming into office and when you go to work you meet the IMF there and I know that the confrontations with the Ashcroft Alliance that was in the second term was very stressful. We had the golden share had been sold. They had the Sealey shares at BEL. What you recall of him in those times of extreme stress and having to face off worthy adversaries, formidable adversaries?"

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"The man was pure steel in those circumstances and I will say he also had the great comfort of being able to rely in terms of dealing with the IMF, in terms of dealing with the Ashcroft Alliance. On his life-long friend, one Net Vasquez, Net was as you would know better than anyone else absolutely, not mercurial, but passionate, driven, exuberant - Manuel was the polar opposite, but together they made one hell of a team the like of which will not be replicated in this country."

So, in the broad view, Esquivel was a man apart - and surely not the kind that we'll see in public life again:

Shane Williams, Produced Esquivel Mini-doc
"And one thing that was different about him, he had to leave his job, he had to end his career, he leave his pension to enter into something that is not promised. You cannot be certain that you will be successful as a politician and to leave such a successful career, nobody would ever do something like that I can assure you that."

Henry Young, Esquivel Cabinet 1993 - 1998
"He has been able to not mix his emotions with his ability to manage the country. We had a group of people that I think has shown themselves to be nationals more than political persons."

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Former Prime Minister
"This is what made this man so absolutely, so absolutely superior."