In countermove, JC old boys harden divide
Published:Monday | June 6, 2022 | 12:08 AMRuddy Mathison/Gleaner Writer
In a tactical move aimed at circumventing a Christopher Williams-led faction, the Jamaica College Old Boys’ Association (JCOBA) 1908 voted on Saturday to adopt limited liability status for purposes of taxation and charitable status.
The JCOBA 1908 also voted to have the elected executive membership comprise the board of directors of the Jamaica College Old Boys Association Limited for the duration of its tenure and that the same framework apply to successive executives.
The decision, according to several old boys, could further widen divisions and prolong the impasse between the 1908 association and the JCOBA Limited as Company Office of Jamaica records purportedly have Williams, an old boy, as the sole director.
Jarrett and more than 150 old boys were prevented from entering the school compound on Saturday for the annual general meeting and eventually used the Chinese Benevolent Society Auditorium to convene the event. But a few of them gathered outside of the main gates for a short time in a public show of resistance.
A notice from acting principal Wayne Robinson disallowing vehicular traffic on and off the compound, as well as strict monitoring of pedestrian movement, was strictly enforced.
“I am very disappointed by this move by the school, which we think was unnecessary and extreme. Certainly, it doesn’t bring us closer to resolving the issues,” he said.
At the heart of the discussions at the AGM was members’ objection to Williams being the sole director of the 2013-registered JCOBA Limited.
“The critical issue is that of the sole directorship and that it will be run by the principal. We think the JCOBA Limited should be owned and managed by the members and not the principal,” Jarrett said, adding that the JCOBA 1908 is prepared to take legal action to settle the issue.
Williams, when contacted by The Gleaner, said the JCOBA Limited could not comment on what transpired on Saturday but was bent on advancing the interests of the school and the students who need its attention.
“I must say, however, that unity is closer now than before,” he told The Gleaner.
The issue is expected to further play out at the JCOBA Limited annual general meeting to be held at the school on June 12.
The contentious debate over the Jarrett-led JCOBA governance of its finances remained unresolved despite the production of a detailed audited financial report presented by treasurer Collin Greenland.
One member sought clarity on the hot-button topic of uniform sales, prompting past student Paul Burke to push for the adoption of a resolution to defer the debate until copies of the report could be circulated for perusal by members.
The 1908 JCOBA led by Jarrett for eight years before last night’s AGM has been embroiled in months of controversy that led to a cease-and-desist order being imposed by the court against Jarrett and Greenland.
Jarrett has been sued for defamation and an injunction imposed barring him from making public statements that may be considered defamatory about developments at the school.
The injunction will be in place until September 22.