Petra Organization officially joins Friendly Society

With an eye on ensuring that it abides by professional standards, the Petra Organization has moved to join the Friendly Society.
Overseen by the Ministry of Labour, the Society is open to charitable or social groups, under which the football organizing body falls.
At the presentation of the official certificate, on Tuesday afternoon at the Ministry’s Brickdam Headquarters, Chief Cooperative Officer Janaknauth Panchu expressed a need for more sport groups to join the society, and he explained why.
“In fact, I am always happy when you have groups coming to be registered that promote sports. This is something we need more from others in our country, because our kids, they have the same ability like kids across the Caribbean. However, they need the organizations like the Petra Organization to assist them in honing that skill, that talent that they possess,” Panchu expressed.

He added, “Look at our Caribbean counterparts: they shine in whatever sport they’re involved in. It is because they have the facilities, they have the relevant groups to assist in moulding their talents, and so on. So, when I see these sports groups coming to register, I’m quite happy, because I know they’ll assist our children to realise their full potential.”
Panchu went on to warn the new members of how other groups have fallen out of favour, emphasizing the need to act according to the Group’s laws. The Chief Cooperative Officer warned, “What you need to also bear in mind (is that), after being registered, you will have to follow the by-laws. Your constitution, you will have to follow the law that governs Friendly Societies; that is the Friendly Societies Act, Chapter 36:04. For too long, I’ve seen Friendly Societies registering, and after registration, sometimes you don’t hear back from them.
“So, I don’t (want) another… and we have many of those on our register at this point. I’m not saying Petra Organization, but I’m saying organizations coming to just register; we don’t want that. As long as you register here, you should do what you’re registered to do. Again, accountability is very important,” Panchu emphasised.
Petra Co-Director Dr. Marlan Cole was elated at the opportunity to be able to ‘streamline’ the group’s work. He has assured that the organisation will abide by the Society’s laws.
Cole related, “We recognize the importance of registering as a Friendly Society, which would allow the organization to really streamline our work and activities, and it is related to the promotion of football. A lot of times we’re labelled as a private promotion organization, or a private promoter. We’re hoping that with registration and with our annual reports and audited financial statements, that this organization would now be recognized as a bona-fide, legitimate part of the Scoiety that is facilitating the sport of football.
“We’re hoping that this certificate would really help us to grow as an organization, and lend itself to our legitimacy in the society of Guyana; and we would not let down the CEO, but he would see that our registration is an active registration for many, many years to come,” the Petra Co- Director added.
The Petra Organization is currently running the Milo Schools’ Football Tournament, with another 7 school football tournaments scheduled for this calendar year.