Anderson: Let us do the right thing
Published:Saturday | March 16, 2024 | 12:09 AMLivingston Scott/Gleaner Writer
Jamaica Football Federation (JFF) presidential candidate Raymond Anderson is very confident ahead of tomorrow’s election where he will face incumbent Michael Ricketts at the Royalton Resort in Negril, Hanover.
Anderson strongly believes that the work he has done on the ground leading up to tomorrow’s big day, and the dissatisfaction members have with the current administration will deliver him the presidency at the end of tomorrow’s vote.
“Yes, we can be victorious despite the dirty politics. It has given us energy to move because there is a lot of work at the JFF to be corrected.
“There are some things that they (delegates) are not pleased with in terms of what has been happening at the JFF.
“We have been telling them what we will do if we get into office, and we have kept talking to the delegates and we will be doing even more on the ground right up until tomorrow,” he said.
“So we have appealed to the delegates to see what is happening to the football at this time and to let us do the right thing as the change is now. The Real Solid Action (RSA) team is willing to make the game change,” he said.
He declared that transparency and efficiency will be the hallmark of his regime and that correcting some of the errors of the current administration would be high up on their to-do list.
He pointed to matters such as the financial restrictions FIFA has imposed on the federation, the trust and transparency issues members and the wider public have with the Ricketts administration and swore to rectify these issues.
He also believes that their approach to football development will be more sustainable and progressive than what currently obtains.
“FIFA’s restricted funding, if we can get behind that, can you imagine how good the JFF would be financially. That’s one of our priorities, getting restricted funding off the JFF.
“You must also start (development) from the grassroots, build community football and ensure that there is trust,” he said.
“If people know how much money you have and how much you spend and you stick to what was agreed to spend, then people will be willing to help us.”
Nevertheless, he said he eagerly awaits Sunday’s election.
“We are going to win the election. The RSA team is committed to whatever was in our manifesto. The level of trust and communication that we will have, people will want to come through the gate to us.”
Meanwhile, general secretary of the JFF, Dennis Chung, said yesterday that the voters’ list for tomorrow’s election is ready.
“It was sent out this (Friday) morning. We had told them it would be sent out yesterday (Thursday) as the (electoral) committee had indicated it would be sent out yesterday but it wasn’t sent out until this morning,” he stated.
Chung said the voters’ list is a responsibility of the electoral committee.
“The electoral committee has responsibility for the election process. I just take instructions from them,” Chung said. “So if they do not tell me to send it out, I cannot. It is the responsibility of the electoral committee to determine who can vote, and consequently to issue the voters’ list,” he said.
A release from the Electoral Office of Jamaica said it was engaged by the JFF to assist with the execution of the elections on election day.
However, it noted that their engagement does not include the preparation or distribution of the names of delegates representing the members.