Sinclair-Lym calls for TT unity
Published:Thursday | January 28, 2021 | 12:07 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
With the leadership conflict within the Jamaica Table Tennis Association (JTTA) continuing to deepen, Karen Sinclair-Lym, the first person to challenge Godfrey Lothian’s leadership of the organisation, is warning that it will take a lot of effort to repair the wounds caused by the ongoing dispute, as she re-enters the fray.
Sinclair-Lym, who ran and lost to Lothian in the 2019 elections before successfully challenging the results in court and then taking a back seat to Andrew Lue’s presidential candidacy, has decided to return to the fold and will be running on Lue’s slate, as vice-president at the February 6 annual general meeting.
DISJOINTED APPROACH PROBLEMATIC
The administrator is, however, calling for unity within the JTTA ranks, underlining that a disjointed approach will make life difficult for the next administration.
“After this I think the administration will have a lot of work to do. This will not be a quick fix. This has gone in a way that I don’t think anyone expected, least of all myself. This is going to leave some scars that need to be healed, and it will need time to work out,” Sinclair-Lym told The Gleaner.
She called for a more civil approach to addressing the issues and differences between the two factions, and noted that it was important that the parties settle the differences and develop a united approach to the execution of their duties.
“It is certainly going to be tough, when you have a great divide in any organisation. The persons on one side will already be comfortable with their leadership, while on the other side it will be the same, but we don’t need to tear anybody down, we need to build a team and work together, so we can get stronger.
“So that will be a challenge, to create that teamwork and build one unit and to make everybody stronger,” she added. “It will take some work but if you don’t do that, you are going to fail, it doesn’t matter if you win the election. If you can’t have everybody working together as one, it will not work, it has to he a united group going forward. We all have to be willing to work together for the greater good.”
Meanwhile, Sinclair-Lym underscored her conviction in the leadership abilities of Lue, who she described as a trustworthy and transparent individual.
“He (Lue) used to play table tennis, so he understands how that goes. He understands what the mandate is for being transparent and that is something he does in all phases of his life,” claimed Sinclair-Lym.
“With Andrew, what you see is what you get, and what he says is what you get. I trust he can take us forward, and that is why I support him as much as possible,” Sinclair-Lym said.