Upon the stroke of 5pm on Tuesday afternoon, March 14, 2023, President of the Guyana Tennis Association (GTA), Cristy Campbell, rose to highlight the elephant in the room at what was supposed to be the hosting of the Guyana Olympic Association’s (GOA’s) Electoral General Meeting (EGM).
However, what unfolded was a series of heated debates on the legality of a letter from General Secretary Hector Edwards regarding the eligibility of associations and individuals to vote and contest positions respectively.
While the letter was signed by Edwards, who has allegedly not been in Guyana for some 2 and a half years, the current General Secretary was adamant that his signature was forged.
Current GOA President, K.A. Juman-Yassin
“The signature was forged. I don’t want any issue clouding these elections, so my suggestion, based on the constitution, is that these elections are paused for 7 days, as per the constitution, and this issue is rectified,” GTA President Campbell opined at the start of the EGM.
In turn, current GOA President K.A. Juman-Yassin said on the issue, “That letter should be in conformity with the constitution, and the constitution says that 7 days before the meeting, the Secretary General shall send to all associations the list of nominations and the agenda. The letter that was sent to me, dated 7th March 2023, has at the bottom H.E. Edwards, Hector Edwards Secretary General.
“I sent that letter to Hector and asked him whether he had signed it or authorised it. I asked him, ‘Did you sign this letter or authorise it?’, he said, ‘No one asked me to sign, as they did with other documents. I think you know my signature’,” Yassin revealed.
Yassin went on to relate, “Hector sent me this message, ‘Good afternoon, Juman, can you advise that the misinformation be corrected? I have sought advice, and my next action will not reflect well on the GOA. Too many people are calling me, even from the media’.”
As such, Yassin explained, in his own opinion, the EGM should not proceed.
“He has not changed his position, and my contention is that the fact that he did not sign that letter, it is not valid, as it is not signed or authorised by the Secretary General,” Yassin said on why the election should not take place.
It was that statement that opened the figurative can of worms, with several Association representatives going back and forth on how the GOA should proceed.
However, while most accepted that Edwards’s signature was forged, Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) President and GOA Presidential hopeful, Godfrey Munroe, had a different perspective. Munroe shared with the Council, “I think, ultimately, the Executive Committee would’ve met, deliberated on a date for the election, which was basically endorsed by a Council. It was legitimately signed by the Secretary General, then that council met, we deliberated on the 17th, and fixed the date for the election.
“The presumption is that the Secretary General is a medium through which the Executive Committee communicates with the Council. The presumption was that we had made a decision and we were executing it, so there was no forgery, no mal-intention with that letter.
“So, to create the premise or position that there is some forgery or something, this Committee was just seeking to fulfil its mandate in the absence of the Secretary General, who was not here over two and a half years,” the GOA Presidential candidate further stated.
One poignant voice of reason came from Guyana Squash Association (GSA) President, David Fernandes, who called for a quick resolution. Fernandes articulated, “How we’re operating here is a shameful display, and I think that we need to find a way quickly here. I share my brother Phillip’s opinion that for us to be sitting in here ruminating and getting nowhere is actually a disappointment. It’s quite simple, we got to have positive-thinking people in this room who are willing to work for one common good, and that’s for the future and the benefit of the Guyanese youths, not us.”
After all the back and forth, on a technicality, the EGM meeting had to be officially ended, and a regular Council meeting was called in the ensuing meeting. At that meeting, Campbell eventually moved a motion to have Assistant Secretary General Deion Nurse sign documents on the behalf of the Secretary General, which would pave the way for Nurse to call the elections in 7 days.
With the resolution, the GOA Election is likely to be held next Tuesday, March 21st.
