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'I'm still
waiting, Ken' [editor's title]
Could our Mayor, for
whom I have some esteem, please explain to us the sudden appointment
of Yasmin Qureshi as his human rights advisor (Times, 15 Dec).
The Freedom of Information Act should give your readers, and the
public in general, ample licence to such disclosure.
In particular, how does Ken overcome the perception that the
appointment has more to do with arbitrary promotion of a New Labour
candidate in his former parliamentary constituency just ahead of the
next election?
Moreover, what are the rights-based implications of a public servant
conferring a role upon an individual without undertaking a transparent
selection procedure, let alone one consonant with equal opportunities?
Not a more egalitarian society, that's for sure.
I assume no competition took place in which any human rights champion,
of any political party or none, could submit his or her
"track-record" for determination of their suitability for
such a post on grounds of utmost merit. But then surely Ken risks
depriving himself, and his dear public, of the best human rights
advice?
Secret appointments bring politics into disrepute. And I find myself
diverted from not having to address more pressing matters even than
what looks like cronyism.
Dr Shahrar Ali
Green Party Parliamentary Candidate for Brent East
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