GABA Elections in perspective… - McPherson mum on Bowman’s departure

GABA Elections in perspective… – McPherson mum on Bowman’s departure

Sep 05, 2008 Sports

By Edison Jefford
The work of fundamentalists is to convince humanity that the world is absolute–that there are no ‘grey areas’ in human existence. The term ‘lukewarm’, therefore, does not exist in the conceptualisation of fundamentalism.
But often, the natural course of mankind’s life betrays the fundamentalist theory to the point of self relegation. The obvious outcome is silence in fear of disagreement, which occurs when belief opposes human nature.
President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF), Godwin McPherson, is a known ‘black or white straight talker’, but yesterday he refused to offer his definitive perspective of Chris Bowman’s administration.
When Kaieteur Sport asked McPherson to sum up the announced departure of Bowman as Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA) President, his response was neither ‘here nor there’. In essence, it was lukewarm.
“I won’t say that he is leaving on a good note, neither will I say that he is leaving on a bad note,” McPherson said, adding that as a sport administrator, he was compelled to forgive Bowman for the good of basketball.
“You must learn that you don’t go to bed with some things,” he philosophised, in a direct reaction to the question of the many disagreements between basketball’s parent body, the GABF and its Georgetown affiliate, the GABA.
McPherson said that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is constitutionally due and he is grateful that a date was set. The association’s AGM and Elections will take place at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Sunday.
Bowman in an exclusive interview with this newspaper last month announced that he will not be seeking re–election. However, McPherson indicated that he is not optimistic about the claim because Bowman had said so before.
“Bowman said that he is going and I wished him well. It is not the first time Bowman has said that he is going,” the GABF President recalls. Indeed, Bowman has had his share of indefinite decisions at the helm of the GABA.
After a memorandum seeking support for a no–confidence motion was circulated last year, Bowman announced his intention to resign the post to go on what he called “a sabbatical” in an attempt at the clergy.
Yes, Bowman wanted to become a Priest but his conscience would not allow him and he reneged on the announcement that he is to leave the post. He then scraped together two tournaments that ultimately saved his presidency.
In McPherson’s opinion, the GABA should have done more work with basketball in the City with the availability of facilities namely the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Burnham Basketball Court and National Gymnasium.
“There should have been more work. I don’t think they played enough basketball with all the facilities they have available,” the retired Guyana Defence Force Colonel stated, while adding that the incumbent has work to do.
Apart from those hastily organised tournaments last year, Bowman has only managed his annual High School Basketball Festival this year. Nothing was done for Division One, Two and Three players and clubs.
Bowman has not enjoyed the better of support from clubs in Georgetown. In fact, one of the primary reasons he managed two terms in office as President was because of the backing of a dominant first division club.
Many of the other popular clubs, at some stage or another, opposed Bowman over various issues related to his unilateral leadership approach. The GABA and the Guyana Women’s Basketball Association had differences as well.

At a certain meeting with the women’s association, President Michela Burnett walked out after failing to find amicable grounds with Bowman. And so it was at very many other levels with the GABA and its President.
The buzz around clubs in the City ahead of the AGM is that Bowman’s departure, if upheld, will come like a breath of fresh air for a sport that is stifling.