Let them eat honey-roasted peanuts.

• Author: Irwin, Michael
• Position: World Bank's mismanagement

by Michael Irwin and members of the World Bank

On March 30, 1990, citing a bloated, overpaid bureaucracy, poor management, and pervasive arrogance, Michael Irwin resigned from his position as director of the World Bank's Health Services Department. A month before, Irwin had written the following letter to the bank's staff magazine. The memos written in response, excerpted here, give a small sampling of his reasons for quitting: Letters section, The Bank's World, February 1990: To the editor:

In February and March, I will be flying to four countries in East Africa. Although entitled to first class, I will travel in business class (and in economy when business is unavailable on some short flights in Africa). This will save about $1,900 on this trip, which will be used to send one of our nurses to the annual American Occupational Health Conference in Houston, Texas, in April.

Are there any important advantages in flying first class? I believe there are none. One can get enough to eat and drink (remember that two alcoholic drinks on a plane have the same effect as three on the ground!) in the business section of the plane. Some will claim they can sleep more easily on long flights when in first. However, to lessen the symptoms of jet lag, it is best to only take catnaps on long flights, as one should frequently drink nonalcoholic fluids to combat the excessive dryness inside the plane and also should walk occasionally around the cabin to lessen body fatigue and stimulate the circulation.

Consider how much money could be saved and used in more productive ways if most of us gave up first-class travel.

Michael Irwin, M.D., HSD Date: February 9, 1990 To: Bilsel Alisbah [vice-president for personnel

and administration, Irwin's boss] From: Gottfried Ablasser, EM4AG [agricultural

adviser in the World Bank's regional office

for Europe, the Middle East, and North

Africa] Subject: First-Class Air Travel

.. It is appalling that the director of the Bank's Health Services argues publicly for financial savings over staff members' health. He hasn't even made the trip to Africa referred to in his letter yet, and he is already boasting about his (imaginary) money-saving discovery! Mr. Irwin must either be terribly ill-informed or frighteningly insensitive to staff members' concerns.

My family and I will not feel safe again until Mr. Irwin has been replaced by someone who really cares. 1, and I am sure many of my colleagues, will be watching what steps you and the Staff Association are going to take towards this end. Date: February 9, 1990 To: Dr. Michael Irwin, PERHS From: Grant Sinclair, AS1PH [adviser in the Population

and Human Resources Division of the

Bank's Regional Office for Asia] Subject: Your letter in The Bank's World 1) From the perspective of a frequent traveler in Operations, your choice of subject material for a letter to The Bank's World was indeed an unfortunate one, and I can only wonder as to your reasons for choosing this particular forum to use your position to make the chilling statement that you did against first class travel. I would also wonder where are the benefits to staff health from your spending a considerable sum of money on a four-country trip to East Africa (even in business class). Could I suggest that this money might be much better spent on, for example, monitoring noise and air quality in Bank buildings during the reconstruction process and on seeking ways to reduce the stress factors...