My appointment was not made on the basis of my relationship with the minister. It was based on the qualifications that I was required to have, and I have a list of them here.
Quite frankly, I think I rate pretty highly on all those qualifications. It was on that basis that I agreed to put my name forward for the position, and I at no point in the process sensed that I was receiving any special attention, nor were any shortcuts taken. I went through the same hoops as everyone who would apply for any position would go through. The result was that I won, and I accepted that I won based on my qualifications. If it were any other way, I wouldn't have accepted the position.