The following is an edited version of the statement from former Prime Minister Owen Arthur on the passing of Sir Richard Haynes.
I CAN PAY no greater compliment than to say I think that he will go down as one of the greatest intellects ever to serve as a Member of Parliament. This is a man who mastered the classics, then medicine, then he mastered economics and finance.
I do not believe there is anybody, quite frankly, in my experience who has had such outstanding brilliance and showed it in everything he did.
The great pity was that he was not given to exhibit that extraordinary intellect and ability in the highest office of the land.
He and I were for a while political adversaries and, believe me, it was not for the faint-hearted.
In 1987 when he presented his Budget I had to respond to it and it was for me an experience that I would never forget. You had to be at your very best to deal with Richie Haynes. Tom Adams also knew that.
In time we became friends and it was a relationship that was based on mutual respect.
Quite frankly, he comes from the generation of our greatest parliamentarians. . . . As a young parliamentarian I felt the distinct honour to serve in the same Parliament as Errol Barrow, Tom Adams, Erskine Sandiford (later Sir Lloyd), Bernard St John (later Sir Harold), Richie Haynes (later Sir Richard), Branford Taitt (later Sir Branford), David Simmons (later Sir David), Louis Tull (later Sir Louis), Henry Forde (later Sir Henry), Billie Miller (later Dame Billie), and I can go on.
He was one of the greatest from his generation and Barbados is the poorer for his passing. A boardwalk has been chosen to commemorate his contribution but I believe something of a more intellectual nature befitting what he brought to public life, and to remind us that those of us in public life have to bring to bestow on this man.
Believe me, he was a charming individual but beyond that he had a very sharp tongue. In some respects when people speak of my sharp tongue, they have no idea how sharp Richie Haynes’ tongue was.
But beyond that he was a gentleman and it is important that Barbados continues to attract to public life the people who combine his rare, exemplary qualities. We would be better for it if we could produce more Richie Haynes in the future. (SP)
