Clash of meetings tomorrow for JTTA

Members of the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) will have to decide on which of the two special general meetings (SGM) they will attend tomorrow.

This is because President Godfrey Lothian and presidential challenger Andrew Lue-led teams have both set identical date and time (1 p.m.), but different venues, to host their meetings.

The Lue-led contingent will have their meeting at the National Arena, with the main items on the agenda being a no-confidence vote for the incumbent and setting a date for the annual general meeting (AGM).

Lothian’s meeting, set for the Caribbean Palm Estate Community Centre on Spanish Town Road in Kingston, will be to call for a vote of confidence for the president and to address the position of the general secretary, which they argue, has been compromised since Ann-Marie Clue resigned from the post last year.

ATTEMPTED AMBUSH

JTTA Treasurer Darrington Ferguson said, “Lue and the resigned general secretary, Mrs Clue, are trying to ambush the current administration.

“We are the duly elected body and we are the ones that constitute and call special general meetings on the behalf of members. Therefore, we will not recognise such an event.”

He says that Clue has brought the sport into disrepute.

“She submitted information that she would not be functioning in that capacity and then she turns up and wants to,” he said. “It can’t work like that it is too irresponsible.”

Lue says members still recognise Clue as the legitimate general secretary, and says that Francena Price, Clue’s assistant, whom the Lothian camp now recognises as the new general secretary, has no authority to call a SGM.

“Neither verbal or written, she (Clue) has not turned in her resignation,” he said. “She has totally refuted those allegations. After all that happened she refused herself from things but she did not resign.

“But the title under her (Price) name (on SGM letter) is ‘secretariat’, and the constitution says the application should be made to the general secretary.

“The current affiliates of the JTTA, as per their constitutional rights, wrote to the legitimate general secretary requesting an SGM and that meeting has been convened by the general secretary.

“I have heard of another meeting, which is in violation of the Supreme Court ruling under the constitution of the JTTA, so whatever happens there is up to them. We have nothing to do with that.”

Calls went unanswered when The Gleaner contacted Clue for a comment, but a source close to the administrator says that although she is aware that the two meetings will only continue to create more public distaste for the nearly two-year-old conflict, her intention is to finalise a legitimate date for the AGM, so elections can be held once-and-for-all.

“She hopes we can have an AGM and contenders for the various position put themselves forward, and voting done with the 44 clubs that have been agreed to the list, so the association can move on from there,” the source said.

Only the management counsel or the general secretary of the JTTA can call a SGM upon request of 10 clubs, with the request signed by those clubs.

However, at least a 33 and a third majority is needed for either meeting to go ahead.

livingston.scott@gleanerjm.com