BURCHELL Whiteman, in two decades, has managed to give Jamaican politics a good name.

Even his political opponents hail him, as his colleagues and friends do, as a principled and caring man who devoted his life to public service – first as educator then politician, spanning more than 40 years.

A man of reflection and quiet intellect, as well as demonstrated loyalty to his party, Whiteman commanded respect simply by his conduct.

The essence of his personality was captured in two simple sentences of a combined seven words.

“A real gentleman. Of the old school,” said Norma Segree, describing the teacher and lay preacher she knew in Brown’s Town, St Ann.

In 17 years as parliamentarian, senator, minister of government, and People’s National Party (PNP) official, Whiteman is, arguably, the only politician whose integrity remained unquestioned to his retirement in May.

“He and I have shared a very close personal relationship over the years, so much so that he was the master of ceremonies at my wedding,” said Ernest Smith, one of Whiteman’s former students at York Castle High School and now sitting Member of Parliament (Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) – South West St Ann).

In 1989, Smith, a lawyer, ran unsuccessfully against Whiteman, his principal at York Castle High, for the North West St Ann parliamentary seat.

But even that, said Smith, had no effect on their friendship.

“As a politician I can certify that, like myself, Burchell ran a very, very clean campaign. And as a politician he maintained a cordial relationship with just about everybody.,” said Smith.

“He’s a wonderful man and he’s still my friend. In or out of politics, he will always be my friend.”

The two entered politics at the same time when they worked together – Whiteman as principal of the Brown’s Town Community College (BTCC), and Smith as chairman of the BTCC board.

“His only problem is he belongs to the wrong party,” said Smith, a member of the JLP, which is main rival to the PNP.

Whiteman entered politics in the twilight of the Michael Manley administration.

He would be vaulted to a Cabinet position in 1992, when P J Patterson was selected prime minister to replace the ailing Manley, and would serve alongside Patterson as his education minister for a decade and then as his information minister and chief government spokesman up to 2006.

Whiteman, who party insiders say, shared a close personal and professional relationship with Patterson, departed government alongside the former PM on March 30 – giving up his Senate seat, job as Leader of Government Business in the Senate, and information portfolio – and would have fully quit politics then, but was persuaded by the PNP to retain his position of general secretary for a while.

He gave up that job last month to Senator Colin Campbell, who is also Jamaica’s new information minister.

Senator Anthony Johnson, who was the opposition JLP spokesman on education while Whiteman was education minister, said Burchell’s conduct always commanded respect even at the height of political differences on government policy.

“He is a very organised person, and we did have our differences, as you would imagine… but at no time did the relationship ever become personal or acrimonious,” said Johnson, Leader of Opposition Business in the Senate.

“In fact, he took very good care to ensure that we were always on speaking terms. We were always able to call each other and discuss what was going to happen or what had happened.”

Johnson, who has known Whiteman for over 30 years, said they have attended the same church for close to 15 of those years.

“We are both Methodists, and I know not only him, but also his family. And I certainly respected him,” said Johnson.

“I hope he respected me.”

Segree, a long-time family friend and Brown’s Town resident, shared anecdotes about Whiteman’s years in in the St Ann community, where he served as a lay preacher in the Methodist church and would occasionally preach on Sundays.

“Oh the children! They would get so excited when they knew he was preaching, because they knew he never went on for long,” said Segree, who now helps to administer the Whiteman Scholarship fund for talented but under-privileged students.

“He would just pick a text and get to it quickly, in such a way that the children could understand what was going on.”

The love for Whiteman extended not only through the church but throughout the community, Segree told the Sunday Observer.

“I remember, he disciplined the boys for misbehaving and he told them to go home. They left, and must have been on their way going up the hill when he proceeded afterwards in his car, which shut off,” she said.

“And the boys turned around and pushed the car right up to the garage for him. You know, even though they had been disciplined, they had such respect and love for him.”

Principal of Westwood High School in Trelawny Eileen Piggott, who taught at BTCC while Whiteman was principal there, and who worked closely with his sister, Etta Whiteman when she was principal of Westwood, remembers him as an innovative educator who never stopped thinking about how to bring about better for his students.

“He always had a lot of foresight. He would experiment with things; try to meet the needs of his students. He’s always looking to the future, thinking up ways by which he could improve wherever he was,” said Piggott, who also taught both of Burchell Whiteman’s daughters – Lisa and Gail.

He also brought that sense of innovation, tempered with pragmatism, to his job as education minister, she said.

“I feel that as an administrator both at York Castle and Brown’s Town Community College, he saw the challenges; and as a minister he knew the problems that schools had, that principals had, that students had, and pulled that knowledge into the way he worked as education minister.”

Vericka Bennett, who served as Whiteman’s assistant from 1989 till his retirement, said as education minister, he set a standard for politicians, being hardworking, committed and compassionate, even at times outpacing his staff with his dedication to the job.

“He’d get in so early in the mornings – I mean it was at the point where you’d feel guilty, because you’d walk in and see him sitting in the office, working away. And then in the evenings, although 5 o’clock was the end of the working day, I never saw him leave at that time,” said Bennett.

“Sometimes, I would peep in as I was leaving, and there he would be, on his computer, working away.”

In the education ministry, Whiteman’s passions included seeking better financial support for upgraded high schools and for needy students, better remuneration for teachers, and more attention for special needs children.

He had an open door policy, Bennett recalls, responded to all correspondence promptly, and typed and signed his own letters.

“… We used to do these monthly route tours of schools, and how he related to the students in the primary schools was amazing,” said his former assistant.

“He would sit at their desks with them, look at their books, and if a child was writing something and the words weren’t formed properly, he would actually help them; correct them there and then.”

Maureen Webber, who served as one of Whiteman’s four deputies while he was general secretary of the PNP, credited Whiteman with overseeing the party’s massive transformation project, and with providing the non-confrontational leadership that the party needed in its tumultuous transition period.

As a team, Webber and Whiteman were largely credited with mounting a smooth election of new PNP president in February that was as notable for its lack of hiccups and conflicts, as the campaigns of the candidates were for their acrimony.

“People think that because he wasn’t there day to day he didn’t have a lot to do with the running of the party, but that’s just not true. I think he recognised the strengths of each of the deputy general secretaries and allowed each of them to contribute to the level that they could contribute,” said Webber.

“He gave me guidance – he was like a father figure – and he would lead by example.”

Segree said Whiteman tended to apply his Christian principles to everything he did.

“He was not the sort of politician who went out and made speeches, he more went out and did,” she said.

“Part of the time he was representing us (as MP), he wasn’t living in Brown’s Town, but you could set your clock by him. Every Saturday morning, he would arrive, get into his office and start speaking with people; helping people with school fees. And education was his thing.”

Bennett concludes that Whiteman was, for her, the epitome of what a politician should be.

“Very honest. Trustworthy. And a very intelligent man – all in one package,” she said. “He’s what you would call the consummate role model, as a public servant. He exuded discipline, politeness, confidence on the job.”

On June 3, Whiteman was awarded the high honour Order of Jamaica in recognition of his service to country.

campbello@jamaicaobserver.com