"Absolutely not,'' Mr. Alastair Macdonald said yesterday. "I'm not going to let these people kick me in the face and force me to resign.'' Mr. Macdonald continued to defend the commission's recent selection of Mrs.

Eugenie Simmons as chief executive officer.

Citing "discrepancies and exaggeration'' in Mrs. Simmons' resume, the PLP said Mrs. Simmons was "unfit for the post.'' The fact Mr. Macdonald "ignored these facts, even when they were pointed out to him, demonstrates his unsuitability to be chairman of the selection committee and of the National Drug Commission,'' Shadow Human Affairs Minister Ms Renee Webb said in a prepared statement.

Mrs. Simmons, 37, left her job as behavioural/educational therapist with the Education Department to take the NDC post. She has a Masters degree in special education and has worked on community-based anti-drugs projects.

Mr. Ming, the former head of the National Alcohol and Drug Agency, said her appointment was equivalent to starting a little league pitcher in baseball's World Series when proven professionals were available.

The proven professionals included Prison psychologist Dr. Derrick Binns, as well as himself, he said.

On Thursday, Ms Webb released copies of correspondence between Mr.

Macdonald and Education Permanent Secretary Dr. Marion Robinson which she said showed the selection process had been compromised.

"In my judgment the presentation of information which may mislead a selection committee should raise questions about the suitability of an applicant for a post, even if it does not compromise the ability of the applicant,'' Dr.

Robinson said in a March 1 letter to Mr. Macdonald that was leaked to Ms Webb.

In background information attached to her resume, Mrs. Simmons said she spent "several months'' with an Ontario School Board in 1989. Dr. Robinson said the posting in fact lasted three weeks. She also denied Mrs. Simmons' claim that administrative training was a purpose of the assignment.

Among other criticisms, Dr. Robinson denied that Mrs. Simmons was involved in developing job descriptions for officers of the Education Department.

Mr. Macdonald, who chaired the five-member selection committee, released a memorandum he sent to the board of the NDC which dealt with Dr. Robinson's complaints and Mrs. Simmons' response.

"Most of the issues raised were matters of degree and opinion where honest disagreement could occur, rather than matters of substance,'' the memo said.

"Some of the issues raised were not valid and, in one case, Mrs. Simmons was questioned about statements that she had not made.'' The only matter of substance was the length of time Mrs. Simmons spent in Ontario, Mr. Macdonald said. But Mrs. Simmons explained that her mother's death interrupted the stay in Ontario after two weeks. She returned to complete her term several months later and "indicated that this period of time was very stressful and a bit of a blur.'' "The committee accepted her explanation and felt that this matter was inconsequential to her application,'' he said.

"Almost all of the statements questioned by Dr. Robinson had been included in promotion applications to the Ministry. In several of these applications, Mrs.

Simmons had been short listed by senior Ministry staff, with no questions raised about her credentials.'' A former heroin addict has also voiced support for Mrs. Simmons.

Mr. Gladwin Woods, who was a member of the interim steering committee for the National Drug Strategy, said recent attacks on Mrs. Simmons were unfair.

"She's straightforward, she pulls no punches, and she knows how to put the bridle on,'' Mr. Woods told The Royal Gazette . "No matter how hard the ride is, Eugenie is going to stick with it.'' Mr. Woods, who is cured of a drug habit and has worked in hotel maintenance for the last eight years, said he first met Mrs. Simmons through Sandys Against Drugs and she was an inspiration in his successful fight.

"She gave me a lot of insight and guidance,'' he said. "She's right out there with the needs of the people. She gets in there and gets her hands dirty.'' Mr. Woods, 44, said Mrs. Simmons was being treated like "a political football.'' He also voiced support for Mr. Macdonald, who Mr. Ming criticised as bent on "power and control.'' "He's a dedicated man,'' Mr. Woods said. "I've not eaten at his table, but I feel very comfortable with him. I see him pacing the floor to make the right decision.''