It is a shocking death of a man that could have been Belize’s Deputy Prime Minister. Today we got reaction and reflection from Minister of Works Anthony Boots Martinez and Minister of Education Patrick Faber, both of whom were close to Oscar Ayuso Jr.
Hon. Patrick Faber, Minister of Education/Friend of Ayuso
“I had not seen Oscar for a couple weeks but the news was absolutely devastating to me and to my family. I knew him very closely in terms of politics and also we tried to be as good friends as we could have been given the circumstances, given my duties and the many things I had to do. But in terms of politics we were close, especially when he was the deputy leader of the party and he was a Senator.”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez, Minister of Works/Friend of Ayuso
“He was humble, I will remember him for his humility. He was a supporter of mine going to a big convention in my political career.”
Keith Swift,
“Is this something you saw coming?”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“No, not really. He has always been a cool, calm, quiet guy. The news was shocking to me.”
Keith Swift,
“Do you know what he was going through personally that might have caused him to do this, were you aware of the personal problems he had?”
Hon. Anthony Boots Martinez,
“No I wasn’t aware. Like I said he was always a humble guy, humble and we had never discussed before any personal or business matters or whatever it might have been but he’s always the guy you see everyday,
it is the same person – always having a cheering face.”
Hon. Patrick Faber,
“There were some signs. I believe over the years that he was not doing well financially but I did not know the extent of it. He certainly did not discuss it in any details with me so I can’t say that I did.
Something I always remember about him is that he didn’t mince words. Even if it would hurt your feelings a little bit, he would pick up the phone and tell you about it. I always remember him being a very very strong family man. As the Deputy Leader in the party at the time he had, we expected him on many occasions to be travelling here and there and he would tell you plain, this is time for his family.
I think it should be a lesson for all of us who are involved in politics, involved in the business world who have so many people relying on us in this life that we should value every minute and that you can never tell what somebody is going through in life and that we should cherish every moment of our life so that we can try to make this place better for every one of us.”
A release today from the UDP Secretariat says Belize has suffered a great loss while a release from the PUP describes Ayuso as a businessman and Belizean patriot. He leaves behind his wife Halima Ayuso and two children. Oscar Ayuso Jr. was Belize’s Ambassador to the Vatican and the Honorary Consul to Sweden. An official funeral will be held for him later this week.
