TT drama serves up new twist

Chairman of the Dispute Resolution Foundation (DRF), Anthony Davis, has demanded that Jamaica Table Tennis Association ( JTTA) President Godfrey Lothian produce documentation supporting the legitimacy of the two groups he wants reinstated on the JTTA’s delegates list.

Efforts to sign off on the voters’ list were stalled for the second time this month, after Lothian refused to add his signature to the document unless the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) was removed from the list.

While he eventually got his wish, with the JDF’s subsequent exclusion from the process, Lothian, a few days later, again refused to sign, arguing on this occasion for the reinstatement of the Referees and Umpires Association (TTRU), as well as the Kingston and St Andrew Cricket Association (KSCA), who were initially taken from the list.

Lothian, in a letter to Davis, argued that the TTRU and KSCA should be recognised as affiliates of the JTTA, pointing to Paragraph 7, Item 10, of the organisation’s constitution, which points to discretionary power of the Managing Council.

“Was the Referees and Umpires Association approved by the Managing Council? Yes!” the letter read.

“If all the rules were followed on becoming a member, under ‘Any Other Affiliated to the JTTA’. If the Managing Council, in its discretion of power to elect, made the Referee and Umpire Association an affiliation under the entitlement ... that accomplishment of their standing of being an ‘affiliate’ must be affirmed and restored.”

However, Davis, in his request, asked that Lothian produce evidence of the groups’ validity by Monday, December 21, and insisted that the evidence must include five key points – an outline of the reasons the TTRU and KSCA affiliates should be readmitted; a copy of the original constitution submitted with their application; a copy of the applications for membership; a copy of the minutes of the meeting when the clubs were accepted; and correspondence to the clubs confirming the approval of their membership.

TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE

“The request for reinstatement of any affiliate removed from the list should be accompanied by evidence to support your claim,” Davis wrote to Lothian. “The provision of evidence will be used to approve or refuse your request, as the evidence will play a significant role in assisting me to arrive at a decision.”

Lothian, however, failed to meet Davis’ deadline, presenting only a copy of the TRRU constitution, which led to a follow-up letter from Davis, which read: “You have a responsibility to produce the evidence to support your request. Please be reminded you have provided no contact information, just a copy of a recently drafted (12/21/2020) constitution.”

Davis also pointed out that efforts to contact TTRU President Morine Dawson were unsuccessful.

“I called president Dawson and the person hung up the phone. This now appears [to be] an exercise in futility,” Davis declared.

Meanwhile, a member of the Lothian team, who asked not to be named, argued that if the TTRU and KSCA are not reinstated, then Northland, a Franklyn Town-based club, must also be removed for not meeting certain criteria as well.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com