BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth — Political friends and foes in his home base of South West St Elizabeth are remembering opposition People’s National Party (PNP) stalwart Danny Buchanan as an extraordinary political organiser, a great servant of his constituency and parish and a fine human being.

“Danny was a very, very nice person,” said Derrick Sangster, the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Mountainside Division who for years was the political opponent of Buchanan in SW St Elizabeth.

“I know some people struggled to understand the relationship, but Danny was my friend,” Sangster told the Observer West by telephone yesterday.

Over a period of decades, Buchanan, who died in hospital on Monday night at age 68 following a gruelling battle with colon cancer, served as parish councillor, trade unionist, Cabinet Minister, PNP General Secretary and four terms lasting 18 years as Member of Parliament for SW St Elizabeth.

Among those who joined Sangster in paying tribute to the colourful Buchanan yesterday were Comrades who worked closely with him in SW St Elizabeth over many years: Junior Bennett, David Satchwell and the Rev Stanley Redwood.

They hailed his capacity to “organise, organise, organise” and his commitment to his constituency which they said resulted in far-reaching improvement in the provision of domestic and irrigation water, roads, schools and other infrastructure during his tenure.

“I remember as a boy travelling through South West St Elizabeth and trust me, the changes Danny was able to bring since taking over as MP in 1989 were very significant,” said Redwood, who lost to the JLP’s Christopher Tufton in the 2007 parliamentary elections.

“His (Buchanan’s) representation led to no fewer than nine different water systems being developed in the constituency. He was instrumental in the upgrading of numerous facilities in Black River and beyond — including the hospital which was transformed — schools, community centres and roads,” said Redwood, later describing Buchanan as the “consummate politician”.

That commitment to representation was described by Satchwell as a cornerstone of Buchanan’s public service. “When you talk about roads, light, water, that was Danny Buck,” said Satchwell who served as vice chairman of the SW St Elizabeth constituency executive and as constituency representative on the PNP’s National Executive Council (NEC).

In a release circulated Monday, Tufton also paid tribute to Buchanan’s political representation, claiming the man he described as “a fearless, spirited and committed opponent” had “represented the constituency with distinction for 18 years”.

He credited Buchanan with “installing water supply in Fyffes Pen, Newell/Newcombe Valley, initiating the Beacon/Little Park Irrigation System, and the rehabilitation of the Hounslow Irrigation System, during his stint as Minister of Water and Housing”.

Mayor of Black River and chairman of the St Elizabeth Parish Council, Jeremy Palmer was among those hailing Buchanan’s political skills.

“As a political organiser, he was one of the most outstanding of my time,” said Palmer. “His sheer understanding of ground politics was unmatched and as a person who knows the terrain of St Elizabeth, I can tell you his ability to deal with the difficulties a PNP candidate would encounter in SW St Elizabeth and win four consecutive terms was remarkable,” the Black River Mayor said.

Added Bennett: “I have never seen anybody so committed to a purpose as he was.”

Satchwell said Buchanan’s organisational ability, which allowed him to maintaion parliamentary representation – albeit by slim majorities — in a constituency previously viewed as favourable to the JLP, flowed in some measure from an extremely “sharp mind…”.

“He would remember everything: people’s names, places, events, everything,” said Satchwell.

And despite his “sharp tongue” and “firebrand” reputation, Satchwell said Buchanan rejected violent behaviour among his supporters and abhorred partisanship in the allocation of benefits.

“He had a non-violent approach to politics,” said Satchwell. “The ’80s was a tempestuous time in politics but Danny Buck worked with Derrick Sangster in a way that kept behaviour at a moderate level in South West St Elizabeth,” he said.