Luncheon unaware of yard-stick for diplomatic nominees; explains King Kong political folklore.
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 18:31
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon on Tuesday said he was unaware of the yard-stick being used to select nominees for Guyanese envoys abroad and he admitted that several named ambassadors do not have any diplomatic experience.
The revelations were made when he was cross-examined by Defence Attorney, Nigel Hughes in High Court libel case between President Bharrat Jagdeo and newspaper columnist, Freddie Kissoon.
The lawyer set out to justify Kissoon’s assertion in one of his Kaieteur News newspaper columns that Jagdeo is an ideological racist, a description that prompted Jagdeo to seek GUY$10 million in damages for libel. The defence on Tuesday sought to prove that the sale of land and state property, ambassadorial appointments and the provision of sports facilities discriminated against African Guyanese.
Luncheon, who is also Cabinet Secretary, said he was unaware of any criteria that qualifies or is used to select or qualify nominees to fill the posts of Ambassadors and High Commissioners. He, however, said that the selection process was not random and was only invoked when there was need to fill vacant posts for ambassadors and high commissioners.
When questioned about individual ambassadors, Luncheon told the court being presided over by Justice Brassington Reynolds that Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Mitra Devi Ali; Ambassador to Brazil, Kellawan Lall; High Commissioner to India, Ronald Gajraj and High Commissioner to Canada, Harry Narine Nawbatt possessed no diplomatic experience. While uncertain about the diplomatic experience of Guyana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Laleshawar Singh, he was clear that Guyana’s Ambassador to China, Professor David Dabydeen; Guyana’s Ambassador to Caricom and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elisabeth Harper and the Ambassador to Suriname, Merlin Udho possessed diplomatic experience.
Luncheon deemed as “totally inaccurate” a suggestion by Hughes that then Guyana Ambassador to Brazil, Cheryl Miles was recalled home immediately and invited to retire after Brazil had nominated her to be Secretary General of the Amazonian Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO). He explained that Miles’ term ended after she retired earlier from public service and returned home. The Head of the Presidential Secretariat said that he was unaware of Miles’ nomination for ACTO’s Secretary Generalship by the majority of members of that organisation. He added that he was “totally unaware” that Miles did not become Secretary General was because the Guyana government, headed by President Jagdeo, had refused to support the nomination.
Sale of State Properties
Luncheon, who is also a board member of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), was asked whether based on several Gazetted sale and transfer of government lands shown to him that less than half a percent of 158.182 acres of lands were transferred to a person of African Guyanese. He replied, saying that he could not confirm that the lands were sold and transferred during Jagdeo’s term and he was unsure about the precise portion of .1 percent. Luncheon, at Hughes request, singled out Herdmanston Lodge as a single piece of
The lands include .5 acres to Roraima Airways; 4.7 acres to the British Virgin Islands-based Scady Corporation; .5366 acres; .3152 acres and .7846 acres sold to Precision Woodworking; 103.88 acres at Liliendaal to National Hardware; .195 08 acres to Stanford Solomon; 18.871 acres at Plantation Ruimveldt to Queens Atlantic Inc wholly owned by Ranjisighi Ramroop; 6.4917 acres at Plantation Ruimveldt to John Fernandes Limited ;3.017 acres at Public Lands, Eve Leary to Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry and .7892 acres to Shaheed and Zabeeda Feroze. commercial property in Georgetown that was sold to person of African Guyanese- Michael George- during Jagdeo’s presidency.
Earlier, the Plaintiff’s lawyer,Anil Nandlall had objected to Hughes line of questioning on the grounds that no one knows the racial composition of the ownership of the named companies in the absence of the information before the court. The judge, nevertheless, allowed the question on grounds that Luncheon could agree, deny or don’t know.
The judge earlier upheld an objection by Nandlall that Luncheon should not be allowed to say whether he knew who were the principal associates of the companies, a task the lawyer said should be for an official of the Deeds Registry. “It is getting warm and I would ask that we conduct ourselves befitting of the manner of this court,” Judge Reynolds said in asking Hughes and Nandlall to be calm.
The location of a athletics track at Leonora, a swimming pool at Liliendaal and several Diagnostic Health Centres at Leonora, Suddie, Diamond and Mahaicony- predominantly East Indian communities were also raised by Hughes. Luncheon noted that a health facility was built two years ago at East Lapenitence with substantial assistance from the United States military and local labour.
Who was King Kong?
The June 28, 2010 article titled ‘King Kong sent his goons to disrupt the Conference’- a reference to the near break-up of the 2010 annual historical conference. The Head of the Presidential Secretariat, under cross examination by Hughes, said he had not read any literature or seen any movie featuring King Kong. However, he had became aware of the political folklore characterization of then Executive President, Forbes Burnham as a King Kong who was strong and powerful but not necessarily intelligent. Luncheon said he would not accept that King Kong represented an African man but he conceded that Burnham was a Black man. He recalled that Burnham was described in opposition literature as King Kong while the Peoples Progressive Party, Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) and United Force were in the opposition.
Widely believed to be the most covered libel case in Guyanese history by the media, Tuesday's session saw a rare turnout by a large section of the state media including TV cameramen.Those present included the Editor in Chief of the National Communications Network (NCN), Michael Gordon; NCN's Programme Manager, Martin Goolsarran; NCN reporter,Paul Moore, the Editor-in-Chief of the Government Information Agency,Shanta Goberdhan and several of her subordinates.
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 18:31
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon on Tuesday said he was unaware of the yard-stick being used to select nominees for Guyanese envoys abroad and he admitted that several named ambassadors do not have any diplomatic experience.
The revelations were made when he was cross-examined by Defence Attorney, Nigel Hughes in High Court libel case between President Bharrat Jagdeo and newspaper columnist, Freddie Kissoon.
The lawyer set out to justify Kissoon’s assertion in one of his Kaieteur News newspaper columns that Jagdeo is an ideological racist, a description that prompted Jagdeo to seek GUY$10 million in damages for libel. The defence on Tuesday sought to prove that the sale of land and state property, ambassadorial appointments and the provision of sports facilities discriminated against African Guyanese.
Luncheon, who is also Cabinet Secretary, said he was unaware of any criteria that qualifies or is used to select or qualify nominees to fill the posts of Ambassadors and High Commissioners. He, however, said that the selection process was not random and was only invoked when there was need to fill vacant posts for ambassadors and high commissioners.
When questioned about individual ambassadors, Luncheon told the court being presided over by Justice Brassington Reynolds that Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba, Mitra Devi Ali; Ambassador to Brazil, Kellawan Lall; High Commissioner to India, Ronald Gajraj and High Commissioner to Canada, Harry Narine Nawbatt possessed no diplomatic experience. While uncertain about the diplomatic experience of Guyana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Laleshawar Singh, he was clear that Guyana’s Ambassador to China, Professor David Dabydeen; Guyana’s Ambassador to Caricom and Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Elisabeth Harper and the Ambassador to Suriname, Merlin Udho possessed diplomatic experience.
Luncheon deemed as “totally inaccurate” a suggestion by Hughes that then Guyana Ambassador to Brazil, Cheryl Miles was recalled home immediately and invited to retire after Brazil had nominated her to be Secretary General of the Amazonian Cooperation Treaty Organisation (ACTO). He explained that Miles’ term ended after she retired earlier from public service and returned home. The Head of the Presidential Secretariat said that he was unaware of Miles’ nomination for ACTO’s Secretary Generalship by the majority of members of that organisation. He added that he was “totally unaware” that Miles did not become Secretary General was because the Guyana government, headed by President Jagdeo, had refused to support the nomination.
Sale of State Properties
Luncheon, who is also a board member of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), was asked whether based on several Gazetted sale and transfer of government lands shown to him that less than half a percent of 158.182 acres of lands were transferred to a person of African Guyanese. He replied, saying that he could not confirm that the lands were sold and transferred during Jagdeo’s term and he was unsure about the precise portion of .1 percent. Luncheon, at Hughes request, singled out Herdmanston Lodge as a single piece of
The lands include .5 acres to Roraima Airways; 4.7 acres to the British Virgin Islands-based Scady Corporation; .5366 acres; .3152 acres and .7846 acres sold to Precision Woodworking; 103.88 acres at Liliendaal to National Hardware; .195 08 acres to Stanford Solomon; 18.871 acres at Plantation Ruimveldt to Queens Atlantic Inc wholly owned by Ranjisighi Ramroop; 6.4917 acres at Plantation Ruimveldt to John Fernandes Limited ;3.017 acres at Public Lands, Eve Leary to Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry and .7892 acres to Shaheed and Zabeeda Feroze. commercial property in Georgetown that was sold to person of African Guyanese- Michael George- during Jagdeo’s presidency.
Earlier, the Plaintiff’s lawyer,Anil Nandlall had objected to Hughes line of questioning on the grounds that no one knows the racial composition of the ownership of the named companies in the absence of the information before the court. The judge, nevertheless, allowed the question on grounds that Luncheon could agree, deny or don’t know.
The judge earlier upheld an objection by Nandlall that Luncheon should not be allowed to say whether he knew who were the principal associates of the companies, a task the lawyer said should be for an official of the Deeds Registry. “It is getting warm and I would ask that we conduct ourselves befitting of the manner of this court,” Judge Reynolds said in asking Hughes and Nandlall to be calm.
The location of a athletics track at Leonora, a swimming pool at Liliendaal and several Diagnostic Health Centres at Leonora, Suddie, Diamond and Mahaicony- predominantly East Indian communities were also raised by Hughes. Luncheon noted that a health facility was built two years ago at East Lapenitence with substantial assistance from the United States military and local labour.
Who was King Kong?
The June 28, 2010 article titled ‘King Kong sent his goons to disrupt the Conference’- a reference to the near break-up of the 2010 annual historical conference. The Head of the Presidential Secretariat, under cross examination by Hughes, said he had not read any literature or seen any movie featuring King Kong. However, he had became aware of the political folklore characterization of then Executive President, Forbes Burnham as a King Kong who was strong and powerful but not necessarily intelligent. Luncheon said he would not accept that King Kong represented an African man but he conceded that Burnham was a Black man. He recalled that Burnham was described in opposition literature as King Kong while the Peoples Progressive Party, Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) and United Force were in the opposition.
Widely believed to be the most covered libel case in Guyanese history by the media, Tuesday's session saw a rare turnout by a large section of the state media including TV cameramen.Those present included the Editor in Chief of the National Communications Network (NCN), Michael Gordon; NCN's Programme Manager, Martin Goolsarran; NCN reporter,Paul Moore, the Editor-in-Chief of the Government Information Agency,Shanta Goberdhan and several of her subordinates.