Manuel Esquivel | |
|---|---|
 Esquivel in 1993 | |
| 2ndPrime Minister of Belize | |
| In office 17 December 1984 – 7 September 1989 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | Elmira Minita Gordon |
| Deputy | Curl Thompson |
| Preceded by | George Cadle Price |
| Succeeded by | George Cadle Price |
| In office 3 July 1993 – 30 August 1998 | |
| Governors General | Elmira Minita Gordon Colville Young |
| Deputy | Dean Barrow |
| Preceded by | George Cadle Price |
| Succeeded by | Said Musa |
| Leader of the Opposition | |
| In office 7 September 1989 – 3 July 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | George Cadle Price |
| Preceded by | Florencio Marin |
| Succeeded by | George Cadle Price |
| Member of theBelize House of Representatives forCaribbean Shores | |
| In office 14 December 1984 – 27 August 1998 | |
| Preceded by | (constituency created) |
| Succeeded by | Jose Coye |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1940-05-02)2 May 1940 Belize City,British Honduras (nowBelize) |
| Died | 10 February 2022(2022-02-10) (aged 81) Belize City, Belize |
| Political party | United Democratic Party (1973–2022) Liberal Party (1969–1973) |
| Spouse | Kathleen Levy (m. 1971) |
| Children | 3 |
Sir Manuel Amadeo EsquivelKCMG, PC (2 May 1940 – 10 February 2022) was aBelizean politician. As leader of theUnited Democratic Party, he served as the secondprime minister of Belize from 1984 to 1989, and then again from 1993 to 1998. His party's victory in 1984 was the first time an opposition party had won a general election in Belize.
Esquivel was born inBelize City when it was the capital of the BritishCrown Colony ofBritish Honduras. He attended St John's College and later earned aBachelor of Science degree inphysics atLoyola University New Orleans; he subsequently pursued a postgraduate certificate in physics education atBristol University,England.[1]
After the1969 British Honduras election, Esquivel became head of the pro-business Liberal Party, which later merged with two other parties in 1973 to form theUnited Democratic Party (UDP).[2] He was elected to the Belize City Council for two terms,[1] and served as UDP chairman from 1976 to 1982.[3] In the1979 election, Esquivel was the UDP nominee for theBelize House of Representatives in theFreetownconstituency. He was defeated by the incumbent Premier of BelizeGeorge Cadle Price, leader of thePeople's United Party (PUP).[4] Esquivel was then appointed a minority member of theBelize Senate.[5] He defeatedPhilip Goldson for the open UDP leadership post in January 1983, becoming the first and thus far only politician to be elected leader of a major Belizean political party as a senator. Acting opposition leaderCurl Thompson stayed on as the UDP's House leader until the following election.[2]
Esquivelwas elected in December 1984 to the House of Representatives from the newly formed constituency ofCaribbean Shores inBelize City, becoming prime minister for the first time shortly thereafter.[6] The UDP's victory was the first time an opposition party had won since theintroduction of universal suffrage in 1954.[7][8] He held the seat until the1998 election, in which he was defeated by thePUP'sJose Coye.[9]
Earlier in 1984, the Price government was faced with a financial crisis, and had nearly depleted its financial reserves. After increasing tax rates twice, they entered into a standby agreement with theInternational Monetary Fund (IMF). Upon becoming prime minister, Esquivel proceeded with economic reforms under the advice of domestic experts such asEdney Cain.[10] Esquivel began moving theeconomy of Belize away from his predecessor'smixed economy model, encouragingforeign direct investment and the growth oftourism.[11] In his second term, he implemented unpopularausterity measures such as public sector retrenchment.[12] His government suspended pay raises from 1995 to 1997, but transferred 450,000 shares ofBelize Telecommunications to a trust for the affected workers.[13] The opposition PUP dubbed Esquivel as "VATMAN" for introducing a 15%value-added tax (VAT)[10] in 1995. While Esquivel's successorSaid Musa repealed the VAT in 1999, Musa introduced a similar 10% goods and services tax (GST) in 2005.[14]
After the UDP won theFebruary 2008 election, Esquivel was appointed by Prime MinisterDean Barrow as senior advisor to government with the rank of minister on 12 February 2008.[15] He was also appointed Chairman of theCentral Bank of Belize on 18 January 2011.[16] He stepped down as Chairman in September 2013, and resigned from the Cabinet in March 2014.[17]
Esquivel continued to provide opinions on public issues after retiring. Having served on thenational flag design committee, he advocated for a standardized definition of the flag and thecoat of arms.[18] Although his government had opposed cannabis trafficking,[19] Esquivel expressed support for decriminalization of small amounts in 2017.[20] He published an editorial in theAmandala newspaper supporting the2019 Belizean territorial dispute referendum.[21] When the government began administeringCOVID-19 vaccine to citizens over 60, Esquivel and his wife were among the first recipients.[22]
Esquivel met his future wife, Kathleen Levy, while he was studying in Bristol.[23] They wed in 1971 and had three children: David, Laura, and Ruth.[1][24] Laura followed in her father's footsteps as a public servant, serving as a Belize City councilor (2006-2012), Director of the Belize Tourism Board (2012-2014),[25][17] and Deputy Chief of Mission at theEmbassy of Belize in Washington, D.C.[26]
Esquivel was a passenger invehicle rollovers in 1996 and 2009 on theWestern Highway. Both accidents were caused by wet road conditions. While he only sustained minor injuries from the first accident, Esquivel underwent facial surgery after the second.[27]
Kathleen, Lady Esquivel, wrote a biography of Esquivel entitledStill Waters, which was published in 2021.[28] Esquivel died on 10 February 2022, at the age of 81.[24][29][30]
Esquivel was appointed to thePrivy Council of the United Kingdom byQueen Elizabeth II in 1986. This life-time appointment confers the title "Right Honourable".[31] He also held an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Loyola University.[32]
Esquivel was appointedKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the2010 New Year Honours.[33]
In 2021, the Belize City Council renamed anoverpass after Esquivel.[34][35] The coastal road connectingBelize District andStann Creek District is also named after him.[36]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belize 1984–1989 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Belize 1993–1998 | Succeeded by |
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| International | |
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| National | |
