World Bank nominations based solely on qualifications
-Luncheon
Stabroek News
November 13, 2003
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon has said that he does not believe that the government has to justify its choice of two Guyanese of Indian origin to represent the Caribbean at the World Bank.
Luncheon's remark was in response to a statement made in a letter published in the November 5 Stabroek News headlined 'Our task is to drive wedges in the authoritarianism that rejects racial equality'.
The writer, Clarence Ellis said that, "It is Guyana's turn to represent the Caribbean at the World Bank. There are two positions.
Both are being filled by East Indians, Dr. Gobind Ganga and Ms. Lisa Ramotar. Mr Winston Jordan (Ministry of Finance) and Mr Lennox Forte (Bank of Guyana) are both more capable than Dr. Ganga but racial equality in the choice is not even given a thought."
Asked to comment on the statement at his post-Cabinet press briefing on Thursday, Luncheon said he believed that once there was some recognition that Guyana had to nominate persons and once they had the skills, training, qualification and the Caribbean region itself was not troubled or had reservations about the appointments, the administration had no reason to justify its choices.
He said he would not entertain an argument about the "appointment of two properly, equally qualified Guyanese in the government service who have been identified for that posting and to discuss the appointment on the basis of ethnicity."
"I think they are moving from the realm of intelligent and useful discourse into pure and idle speculation.... So I wouldn't entertain the question. What has been done has been done and I do believe it is not an issue because regardless of race, the appointment" was suitable.