“Irreplaceable” Dr Roger Luncheon delivers his own eulogy at State funeral

…tributes pour in for his contributions to Guyana’s development

Veteran politician, Dr Roger Luncheon on Tuesday received a State funeral that saw an outpouring of tributes from some of the highest officials of the land. And in true Dr Luncheon style, his eulogy was recited by none other than himself – which he had recorded prior to his passing.
The long-standing Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), who died on August 2, 2023, was given a State funeral at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC). Luncheon, whose career accolades also included Secretary of the Defence Board, was accorded a military guard of honour.

At his funeral service, a eulogy that Dr Luncheon himself recorded back in 2019 when he was seriously ill and thought to be on the brink of death, was played for attendees. In that eulogy, the former Cabinet Secretary recounted the events of his long life, including his decision to continue his political work in 2015 rather than go into private practice.
“In 2015, the PPP lost power to the Opposition APNU/AFC coalition. I did not use that opportunity to go into private practice. But merely to make my skills more available to the People’s Progressive Party and to be in a position to acquire more knowledge and information about Guyana, the land I dearly love. I became the news editor of a programme, Luncheon and Government, until 2018, when I was forced by illness to abandon that political responsibility.”

“At the political level, I continued to represent the party at different levels. I became ill in 2013, recovered, but became ill again in [2018]. An illness that I failed to overcome. And leading to my release from many of the party responsibilities and duties and ultimately, to become bed ridden and waiting to die. This is my story, from the years 1949 when I was born, to the year [2019], when I died,” Luncheon said.
President Dr Irfaan Ali described Luncheon, who was appointed as a special advisor in 2020 when the PPP returned to office, as someone who the party can never replace. According to him, Luncheon was special, with an intellect none can replicate.
“For decades, he served as the light house of the Government, directing us to safe and secure harbours. Many an occasion, he pulled the nation back from the precipice. He was nicknamed, the gate keeper. But he could also be deemed the defender of faith,” President Ali said.

“The sound of his shuffling steps will no longer be heard. The echoes of his familiar ‘what happening bannas’, has gone silent. Roger Luncheon, our beloved comrade, is no more. Many a comrade will rise in our party, but in my humble view, none can replace him. He was special. He was unique… there can never be another. Because a star only pitches once.”

Absolute trust
During his tenure as HPS from 1992 to 2015, Luncheon served a total of five Presidents, three of whom – Samuel Hinds, Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar – are still living and were present at the funeral. In his tribute to his former Cabinet Secretary, Jagdeo also described Luncheon as irreplaceable. According to him, throughout his tenure, the Presidents Luncheon served came to rely on him.
“Roger was a man for that era. He was the best ally that a Minister of Finance could have found in a Head of a Presidential Secretariat, when I was Minister of Finance. Because he understood the challenges of the times. No money, huge needs, in health, education, infrastructure. And a lot of high expectations in the country. It was a tough path towards financial viability,” Jagdeo said.
“Today, we can say that we have one of the lowest debt servicing figures in the world, coming from the highest in the world when we started. Largely because of a sustained economic strategy that Luncheon was central to. many people think that when we write the political history of Guyana, Luncheon would be a central figure there. But he should also be a central figure when we document the economic history of Guyana.”
According to the Vice President, Luncheon wielded almost unfettered power and influence, second only to the President, because the party trusted his judgement and commitment to the cause. He further noted that Luncheon represented an uncomfortable truth for the Opposition, that the PPP is a multi-racial party.
“Roger Luncheon was one of the figures… who was an uncomfortable thorn in the side of those. Because of his unmatched intellect, they hated him. Many people hated him with a passion, I don’t think personally. But because he was so inconvenient to their narrative,” the Vice President said.
“Because here was a black person, who wielded so much power in the PPP Government, as Cabinet Secretary and HPS and as Secretary to the Defence Board, power that probably only the President had more of. But a practical power. There was absolute trust in Dr Luncheon’s judgement from the political leadership of the party and his commitment to the cause of this country.”
Dr Luncheon’s family also poured out their tributes, including his children, brothers and sisters, inclusive of his twin sister. Following the funeral service, Dr Luncheon’s remains were conveyed to the Memorial Gardens Crematorium.
The former Head of the Presidential Secretariat passed away on August 2, 2023, after an extended period of illness, at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) at the age of 74. He received his education and training in the United States and became Guyana’s first Nephrologist, dedicating almost two decades of service at the GPHC.
As the Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Luncheon served under five consecutive Presidents, and as Secretary to the Defence Board. Until his passing, he remained a member of Cabinet, serving as a special advisor. (G3)