Embarrassment all around

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Those with an eye for coincidence and irony might have observed that, just as we were warning in last Friday’s editorial, that “a high academic title alone is no guarantee of personal achievement or, indeed, integrity” and that we should not “take anyone’s curriculum vitae at face value,” a mini-drama involving the appointment of Dr Naresh Singh to the post of CARICOM Deputy Secretary-General was beginning to unfold. It seems that Dr Singh had been offered the second highest post in the CARICOM Secretariat only for damaging revelations, appearing in the Canadian press on February 14, to start circulating in Guyana. According to these reports, an investigation has begun in Canada over a possible conflict of interest, allegedly involving Dr Singh during his time in a senior executive position at the Canadian International Development Agency (Cida). On Wednesday, the CARICOM Secretariat announced that it had withdrawn the offer of employment to Dr Singh. It is a most unfortunate situation for all concerned. Dr Singh has an impressive CV, with a doctorate from the University of the West Indies at Mona and a track record of notable appointments, including as Executive Director of the Caribbean Environmental Health Institute, Programme Director at the International Institute for Sustainable Development in Winnipeg, Canada, Executive Director of the UN Commission on Legal Empowerment of the Poor, and Director-General for Strategic Planning at Cida. He could have been a worthy addition to the CARICOM Secretariat, given his extensive management experience, with the potential to make a significant contribution to the change management process currently under way.