Richard Christopher Haynes

Sir Richard Christopher Haynes (10 June 1936 – 23 June 2013), also known as Richie Haynes, was a Barbadian politician and surgeon who served as the Leader of the Opposition from 1989 to 1991 after he left the ruling Democratic Labour Party and formed the National Democratic Party. He also served as Minister of Finance from 1986 to 1987. He was married to Jamaican-Barbadian senator Carol Lady Haynes.

Early life Richard Haynes was born on 10 June 1936 in Newbury, St. George in pre-independence Barbados. He went to school at Workman’s Junior School for his primary education and for his secondary education he attended St. George’s Boys School. He also opened up a medical practice in 1972, co-founding the Delaware Medical Centre.

Political career Haynes began his tenure in politics by running as a candidate for the Democratic Labour Party for the 1978 St. Michael South Central by-election which was triggered after the resignation of DLP member Frederick Smith. Haynes won the election and retained the seat for the DLP, a seat he would hold until 1998 with a brief interregnum between 1991 and 1994. and the portfolio of Finance was placed under Sandiford's purview leaving Haynes as a backbencher. In 1989 Haynes and three other DLP members defected from the party, dissatisfied with Sandiford, and formed the National Democratic Party. This made them the second largest party in the house and Haynes, as the leader of the party, became the opposition leader. He lost the role after the 1991 general elections in which the NDP lost all of their seats.