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Sir Manuel Amadeo Esquivel (2 May 1940 – 10 February 2022) was a politician. As leader of the United Democratic Party, he served as the second prime minister of Belize from 1984 to 1989, and then again from 1993 to 1998. His party's victory in 1984 was the first time an opposition party had won a general election in Belize.
Esquivel was elected in December 1984 to the House of Representatives from the newly formed constituency of Caribbean Shores in Belize City, becoming prime minister for the first time shortly thereafter. General Elections 1984 Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission. (archived 16 October 2014) The UDP's victory was the first time an opposition party had won since the introduction of universal suffrage in 1954. He held the seat until the 1998 election, in which he was defeated by the PUP's Jose Coye. General Elections 1998 Belize Elections and Boundaries Commission. (accessed 12 February 2022)
Earlier in 1984, the Price government was faced with a financial crisis, and had nearly depleted its financial reserves. After increasing tax rates twice, they entered into a standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Upon becoming prime minister, Esquivel proceeded with economic reforms under the advice of domestic experts such as Edney Cain. Esquivel began moving the economy of Belize away from his predecessor's mixed economy model, encouraging foreign direct investment and the growth of tourism. In his second term, he implemented unpopular austerity measures such as public sector retrenchment. His government suspended pay raises from 1995 to 1997, but transferred 450,000 shares of Belize Telecommunications to a trust for the affected workers. The opposition PUP dubbed Esquivel as "VATMAN" for introducing a 15% value-added tax (VAT) in 1995. While Esquivel's successor Said Musa repealed the VAT in 1999, Musa introduced a similar 10% goods and services tax (GST) in 2005.
After the UDP won the February 2008 election, Esquivel was appointed by Prime Minister Dean Barrow as senior advisor to government with the rank of minister on 12 February 2008. He was also appointed Chairman of the Central Bank of Belize on 18 January 2011. He stepped down as Chairman in September 2013, and resigned from the Cabinet in March 2014.
Esquivel continued to provide opinions on public issues after retiring. Having served on the national flag design committee, he advocated for a standardized definition of the flag and the coat of arms. Although his government had opposed cannabis trafficking, Esquivel expressed support for decriminalization of small amounts in 2017. He published an editorial in the Amandala newspaper supporting the 2019 Belizean territorial dispute referendum. When the government began administering COVID-19 vaccine to citizens over 60, Esquivel and his wife were among the first recipients.
Esquivel was a passenger in in 1996 and 2009 on the Western Highway. Both accidents were caused by wet road conditions. While he only sustained minor injuries from the first accident, Esquivel underwent facial surgery after the second.
Kathleen, Lady Esquivel, wrote a biography of Esquivel entitled Still Waters, which was published in 2021. Esquivel died on 10 February 2022, at the age of 81.
Esquivel was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George (KCMG) in the 2010 New Year Honours.
In 2021, the Belize City Council renamed an overpass after Esquivel. The coastal road connecting Belize District and Stann Creek District is also named after him.
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