Sunday, May 27, 2007

SEE YOU SOON

I just want to apologize for recent lack of updating of my blog. I am in the process of packing up in preparation for a move to a new apartment. I hope to be back blogging in a couple of weeks.

Thank you for visiting.

Monday, May 07, 2007

WALK AWAY, WOLFIE: An Open Letter to Paul Wolfowitz

Dear Paul,

What a shame that you and the talented Ms Shaha Riza have been put through the ringer so unrelentingly by your peers and those who are not so peer! Imagine, over 700 World Bank employees signing a letter appearing on the organizations website, express their concern about damage done to the bank's image -- how inappropriate to question your ethics, especially after all you have done to, I mean for the United States. Especially to demand that the World Bank practice what it preaches in terms of ethical behavior.

Speaking of ethics, what more could you do about transferring ms Riza than having her transferred with a raise, ($232,660 to $293,590, tax exempt plus 8% annual increase in pay) to an outside entity? It was only fair compensation seeing that she didn't want to leave the WB and suffer possible damage to her career. I wouldn't be surprised if she sued if she sued the Bank -- quite right! -- for breaching her contract and possible hurt feelings.

You did offer to recuse yourself from having anything to do with her, during working hours, when there was a complaint about her working under you, but that wasn't good enough for the Bank's Board. No, they wanted her to work at an outside job as if you are teenagers who don't know how to behave while on the same premises! Outrageous! You told them you both finally agreed and that Human Resources handled the whole transfer with no interference from you.

But then the Washington Post reported that you directly dictated the terms of her contract to the the H.R. Department, and worse, it was bandied about that neither the Bank's Board nor the Ethics Committee was informed of the terms of the final agreement on the external assignment for Ms Riza until after they were finalized. What a scandalous assertion!

I am glad you are sticking to your guns and say you won't quit. Still, complaining about a conspiracy to oust you and acting like a victim -- well, that just doesn't make you look good. So maybe, without of course admitting anything except making a tiny mistake, you should just bite the bullet and for the good of the great entity you have been serving so honorably, just maybe you should resign, and walk away, Wolfie.


Sources:

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-05-05
T004738Z_01_N24441992_RTRUKOC_0_US-WORLDBANK-WOLFOWITZ.xml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shaha_Riza







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