FORMER Prime Minister Bruce Golding on Sunday expressed shock and sadness at the passing of Dr Paul Robertson, a political adversary with whom he shared an enduring friendship since their high school days.

“Our association goes back almost 60 years to 1963 when we both entered Jamaica College (JC) as sixth formers. We became close friends and spent weekends together at each other’s home in Lawrence Tavern and Old Harbour. That friendship and mutual respect endured despite our political differences and even during the turbulent period of the 1970s,” said Golding, a member of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) who served as Jamaica’s eighth prime minister from September 11, 2007 to October 23, 2011.

Dr Robertson, who served the People’s National Party (PNP) in various capacities, including as vice-president and general secretary, died on Saturday night at St Ann’s Bay Hospital. He was also a Cabinet minister in a previous PNP Administration.

Shortly after his passing, PNP President Mark Golding said he was saddened by the news and described Robertson as “a patriotic Jamaican” and a man of great integrity whose contribution to the PNP and Jamaica’s democracy was immense.

In his tribute, Bruce Golding said, “Paul and I worked closely together in 1979 in drafting the framework and operational arrangements for the Electoral Advisory Committee that later became the Electoral Commission of Jamaica, and we were among its initial members.

“In recent times, we would meet at the quarterly luncheon of the JC [Jamaica College] old boys of the 1960s and, while I was aware of his health challenges, I am still shocked and saddened by his passing.”

He also extended his heartfelt condolence to Dr Robertson’s family.

Former Opposition Leader Dr Peter Phillips, who is the Member of Parliament for St Andrew East Central, also expressed shock and sadness at the sudden passing of Dr Robertson, who he described as a stalwart of the PNP.

“Paul was one of the generation who completed his high school and university education in the immediate years after Jamaica’s Independence and who thereafter devoted his life to serving his country and its people,” Dr Phillips said.

Noting that it was the late PNP President Michael Manley who inspired Dr Robertson’s lifelong devotion, Dr Phillips said, “Along with Michael and PJ Patterson, Paul as general secretary was an architect of the rebuilding of the party after its defeat in 1980.

“After the victory in 1989 he served in successive Cabinets, most notably as minister of industry and commerce and of foreign affairs. He was also a successful and much-beloved Member of Parliament for St Catherine South Eastern.”

Dr Phillips hailed Dr Robertson as a devoted patriot who continued to give national and community service even after his departure from active political life.

“Quiet and soft-spoken, he was a loyal Jamaican who served his country well. I extend condolence to his daughters and the other members of his family and friends,” Dr Phillips said.