Dear Editor,
The passing of Dr. Roger Forbes 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.
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.
Farewell dear Comrade, you will find a place in the annals of our history.
Yours truly,
Hamilton Green.
