The consummate public servant

I AM among thousands of persons in Jamaica and across the globe who had the opportunity to meet and interact with Easton. However, I happen to be one of a smaller number who had the opportunity to work and interact with him in political, professional and personal capacities for almost three decades.

It was never difficult to quickly develop a close and rich attachment to him.

Among my early state appointments was serving as a Regional Hospital Board chairman for Easton, the then minister of health following the election of 1989. Very quickly, I became a partner in a common mission of public service, and the commencement of a relationship that was never ending, and will not end, even with Easton’s passing. We became partner and Parliamentary colleagues in public service and personal friends over our lifetime. The Easton Douglas I met and knew was a consummate public servant who saw public service as the highest form in which to express and give of the best in us. He is among those who found enormous joy, pleasure and pride in the success and achievements of others. He saw Jamaica’s development and achievements as his personal achievements, regardless of who the various individuals are that have played a part in it. In fact, basically all Jamaicans were his own.

The richness of our relationship is etched in our mutual respect, trust and regard for each other. This made it extremely easy to interact on any matter, including those in which we share common agreement, and those in which we have diametrically opposing positions. On the latter occasions, after very fierce debates, we will end the exchange with a smile, a handshake and an acknowledgement that our friendship remains fully intact. Our friendship was never allowed to be left to chance because we both valued it. We not only shared the same high school experience, having attended Kingston Technical High School, but also hail from adjoining rural communities in St Catherine. In times of disagreement we would remind each other that our beginnings and nurturing make us inseparable!

His prolonged illness kept him physically away from many of us for quite a while, but never out of our minds. And so, even upon his passing, he will remain with us and continue to serve as an inspiration to us as individuals who knew him, the People’s National Party that he loved and served so dearly, and Jamaica that he gave his all to. FITZ JACKSON

PNP Chairman