Words are like leaves…

Dear Editor,
`Did not say calypso judges breached rules’ says one letter caption of the SN March 1st, 2013 edition as the erudite Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger F. Luncheon challenged the editor of Stabroek News to document such an utterance…‘, failing which a deserved apology would be in order.

And so once again the big man got SN all tossed up scrambling for cover. Editor, I recall a top functionary telling me that the reason why he admires Dr. Luncheon was because he was so slick, so crafty, so evasive that you could never tie him down – “a real diplomat!”

This was what the gentleman loved about a most senior Government official. Now, we have got to be loco when our senior officers admire and emulate their superiors who do not mean what they say and don’t say what they mean. What is so noble about that? Don’t we admonish our children for such behaviour? SN reported that “Dr. Luncheon’s words (were) ambiguous and unclear… The meaning of the remainder, however is somewhat opaque”.

But this was always the hallmark of the doctor of spin.

So then, SN is between a rock and a hard place in this game with the Dr. hence no other choice than to acquiesce: “Technically speaking, the Cabinet Secretary did not say that the judges had breached the `code’ and we express our regret for having reported that he did”. And finally with a classic description of the big man smack on target that crystallizes him. “It has to be observed that Dr. Luncheon’s circumlocutions are legendary … after many years of this, one is forced to the conclusion that sometimes his verbiage is not intended to convey information, but to avoid questions or quite simply to obfuscate issues.” Which reminds me of the quotation: “ Words are like leaves; and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.” And I was thinking that we may be better off to hear him and not hear him, but then again how could we, look at the chair he occupies.

Yours faithfully,
Frank Fyffe