Night of Reflection: Dr Roger Luncheon remembered for his selfless service to Guyana

Remembered for his selfless and devoted service to nation building, the life of the late Dr Roger Luncheon was on Friday honoured in a Night of Reflection which highlighted his work and sterling contributions spanning decades.
President Irfaan Ali; Prime Minister, Retired Brigadier Mark Phillips; Cabinet Ministers, former leaders and other officials gathered at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal, as heartwarming tributes and recollections were poured in on his sterling political career and beyond.
Dr Luncheon, a senior Central and Executive Member of the PPP/C, served as Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS) for over 21 years – a tenure that spanned the presidencies of Dr Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, Samuel Hinds, Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar. Up until the time of his death, he was a Presidential Advisor.
According to Prime Minister Mark Phillips, it was Luncheon’s humility and patriotism that struck a chord with those around him, coupled with his sharp intellect and sense of logic.
Speaking on some of the contentious times in the country’s history, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo added, “Roger Luncheon has been central to everything that has happened under every PPP Government. He has been very important person for the party…He was a workaholic. Every minute of his day was spent in service to the people of this country.”
The Vice President underscored that Dr Luncheon played a critical role in ensuring the PPP/C kept its core principles throughout successive Governments.
Former President Donald Ramotar remembered Luncheon for his calm nature – a quality which attracted the common man.
“You will very rarely see Roger angry and I think that’s one of the qualities that he had that is why ordinary people felt comfortable talking to him about any problems that they had. He will be missed. The service that be served, I don’t think we can put a monetary sum to it,” Ramotar shared.
Meanwhile, Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail Teixeira highlighted her close relationship to the PPP stalwart, noting that there is no better way to honour his legacy than dedicated service to the country.
“This life that Roger lived is one that I hope will be an example to the young people of our country, the young leaders in our party and outside of our party. Serve your country, make it a better place and leave your mark in it and be still, a wonderful human being: caring, strong, loving and brave.”
Luncheon was a member of the Cabinet and the party’s Central and Executive Committees up until his passing.
Throughout his life, he 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. Dr Luncheon was a graduate of Queen’s College, after which he proceeded to study at Howard University in Washington, DC, and became an internal medicine specialist in nephrology.
After serving the Health Ministry as an Internal Medicine Consultant, he became Head of the Internal Medicine Department. He worked at the University of Guyana as an Associate Professor of the Medical Practitioners Programme.
A member of the PPP since the early 1980s, Luncheon served as Head of the Presidential Secretariat from 1992 to 2015. He also chaired and served on a number of Boards during this time, including the NIS and the Defence Board. He was also Chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee.
Dr Luncheon is the third PPP/C stalwart to have died in a year, following the death of Bibi Shadick in August 2022 and the death of party co-founder and renowned Attorney-at-Law Ashton Chase, OE, SC, last month.
At the time of his death, he was 74 years of age. (G12)