Roger Luncheon passes away

Aug 03, 2023 News

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Kaieteur News – Former Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Forbes Luncheon passed away early Wednesday morning after a prolonged period of illness at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). He was 74.

Demerarawaves reported that Dr. Luncheon had been admitted at the hospital for several weeks and had undergone surgery for a blocked artery.

Luncheon at the time of his death was still a member of the powerful Central and Executive Committees of the People’s Progressive Party and also a member of the Irfaan Ali Cabinet.

“It is with a deep sense of sadness we receive the news of the passing of one of Guyana’s most outstanding sons, Dr. Roger Luncheon. This exceptional patriot and national icon was fearless and selfless in his complete commitment to national development and defence of a free and democratic Guyana,” President Irfaan Ali said in a message.

“It is a painful and deep-wounded loss for the Government and Party. He offered me unflinching support throughout my political career, both within the PPP and in public life. This man has shaped me in many ways and placed tremendous trust and confidence in me. Onward fearless warrior and pure nationalist, your work is done but, the product of your labour will live on forever,” the Guyanese leader stated.

For his part, General Secretary of the PPP, Bharrat Jagdeo also extended deepest condolences to the family, friends, colleagues, and others of Dr. In a statement posted on the party’s Facebook page, Jagdeo said: “Dr. Luncheon served in many capacities, including as Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary for five Presidents of Guyana. He was a member of the Cabinet and the party’s Central and Executive Committees up until his passing. He also contributed immensely during the struggle against PNC dictatorship. A true son of the soil who helped to shape the lives of many, Dr. Luncheon left a rich legacy of true commitment to service, patriotism, and a deep sense of national pride and hard work for the people of Guyana.”

Former Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo said Luncheon’s death did not come as a surprise “yet we lower our Flag in mourning.”  “He has been an outstanding Marxist revolutionary intellectual and a “shadow president” in successive PPP governments.” Nagamootoo said since 1976 he and Dr. Luncheon became close comrades in the PPP’s leadership. “When I nominated him to be the party’s presidential candidate in 1997, another comrade at my side whispered “that’s a death wish”. I didn’t know then that it was my political death that she had meant.

Roger persevered, and overcame the odds to remain a towering presence in Guyana’s political arena,” Nagamootoo wrote. “It is with sadness that I say farewell to a dear comrade. Sita and I send condolences to his children and his colleagues at this time of mourning. His passing is a loss to Guyana of humble, modest, unassuming leadership, and pro-poor policies. Farewell, dear Roger!”

Another former Prime Minister and Georgetown Mayor, Hamilton Green said the passing of Dr. Luncheon constitutes a loss, not only to the party in Government he served but to this Nation as a whole.

“I remember Roger as a youngster and earning the reputation of being one of our brilliant medical practitioners recognized as such at home and abroad. I recall attending a Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Meeting in Washington with the then Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Rex Jones and learning of his reputation sought an audience with him. Roger turned up with a motor-cycle and we invited him to return to Guyana to boost our medical services. He said ‘bannas, the matter is under active consideration.’ Shortly after he returned and while holding the portfolio including Health, I always relied on his advice on medical matters. Such advice is always useful and workable,” Green said.

Green said beyond that, “I sensed his admiration and political support for Dr. Jagan and therefore was not surprised when he opted to head the Presidential Secretariat after the PPP won the Elections of 1992.

Many of us like myself felt that his movement to the top echelon in the political arena was a substantial loss to the medical profession but in life, we must respect the choices of individuals. As head of the Presidential Secretariat, his penchant to excellence and devotion to duty in service for the people and things he believed in stood out. In spite of being on different sides of our political divide, we retained a respectful relationship. Perhaps as a result of the close friendship I enjoyed with his father, Rannie Luncheon, as is customary, I called him on his birth date last month.  The young lady who answered the phone said she was his God daughter and he could not, at that time, take the call because he was under the oxygen tent. I asked her to convey to him birthday greetings and best wishes from my family. Roger served his country well and is now gone to join the great majority beyond the horizon,” Green said.

Former Minister of Natural resources, Raphael Trotman, said one could not escape the obvious reality that Dr. Luncheon was an enigma who commanded respect. “I have had countless close encounters and engagements with Dr. Luncheon and in all he would remind you that he was no regular “banna” – to use one of his favourite expressions,” Trotman stated in a letter to the media.

He recalled that for three years, a small group, representing the PPP/C and PNCR met quietly in dialogue to discuss a range of issues arising out of the Herdmanston Accord process. “It was hard not to get to know each other on a more personal level. Though political views and positions remained unassailable, we all came away with a better appreciation and understanding of each other. Roger Luncheon, in those meetings, never failed to entertain or disappoint. At his press conferences, he spoke in a very circuitous way and one had to develop an art to decipher his language. He wasn’t known to lie, but didn’t make it easy to understand what he was saying; especially when he was dealing with a thorny subject. If you took the time to dissect his words, all one needed to know was intricately revealed.”

Trotman noted what he described as a most memorable example of Luncheon was when he coined the phrase “phantom force” in the heyday of the killings, by stating at a press conference: “…there is reasonably plausible evidence that there is a phantom force involved in killings, and it is not the security forces.” “In those words was the first official acknowledgement of the killings that were plaguing the nation, and the source of them,” Trotman wrote.

The National Insurance Scheme, which was chaired for several years by Luncheon, said it is saddened by his passing. “Our scheme has benefited tremendously from the wisdom and input of Dr. Luncheon during his tenure as Chairman of the NIS Board. He was one of Guyana’s true sons of the soil, a brilliant medical doctor, politician and communication specialist,” the scheme said.

“The Board of Directors, Management and Staff of the National Insurance Scheme would like to extend sincere condolences to the Government and people of Guyana, the family, friends and associates of the late Dr.  Luncheon. May his soul rest in peace and his legacy be cherished.”

Between 1992 and 2015, the PPP/C stalwart served as Head of the Presidential Secretariat. During that period, he also sat on several state boards, and at one time, served as the Cabinet Secretary. However, in recent years, Dr. Luncheon, due to his ill health, had been confined to a wheelchair and, at one time, walked with the aid of a cane. When the PPP/C returned to office back in August 2020, Luncheon was rehired as an advisor. Staffers at the Office of the President had disclosed that Dr. Luncheon would go to work and sit behind his desk in his wheelchair. “There is an elevator there so he is assisted to his office and would sit behind his desk in the wheelchair,” one staffer related.

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• Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Forbes Luncheon, former, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Nagamootoo, political

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