Belize’s first Prime Minister, George Price, passed away on Monday last at age 92. He died in hospital after undergoing surgery following a head injury suffered from a fall at home.
Controversial in his early political years, the former Mayor of Belize City, and co-founder of the People’s United Party (PUP) was to lead Belize –the former British Honduras—to independence, and in subsequent years had  the satisfaction of being officially recognised  as “father of the nation”. 
In my salad years as a journalist of this Region, I had the opportunity to often interview him, in and out of Belize.
Price came to earn the coveted acclaim, at home and abroad, as  “the gentleman politician”.  Arrogance and corruption were far removed from his personal and political life—rare qualities these days.
According to my own recollections, I think that in terms  of quality of political leadership and unpretentious lifestyles in our Caribbean region, the nearest comparison to George Price  would be  Dr Cheddi Jagan,  late President of Guyana, with whom he had developed a special relationship dating back to the mid 1950s. (Rickey Singh)