Letter to the Sports Editor….Raj Singh explains his motives

May 07, 2013 Sports

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Dear Editor,
Reference is made to a letter penned by Mr. Winston G. Boston; a known employee/associate of Mr. Claude Raphael, with the dubious headline ‘WHAT DOES RAJ SINGH HAVE TO GAIN?’ this letter contained some rather disturbing and uncomplimentary statements.
I would humbly suggest to Mr. Boston should obtain copies of the Orders granted by the Honorable Judge in respect of this DCB matter and really try to comprehend same, rather than continuously mislead the media and the general public.
If, after reading these Orders, it is still not clear, then a meeting with our Attorney, Mr. Roysdale Forde, would be most apt in explaining the legal interpretation and meaning of these Orders to them.
This question posed by Mr. Boston allows me the latitude to blow my own trumpet whilst providing some brief answers for the reading public, which I hope will provide an insight into my motives.
Mr. Boston seems to be overly concerned with my participation in cricket administration in Guyana and its impact on my professional reputation and credibility, but I do get the distinct impression that he would rather my involvement be terminated.
My motives in everything that I do in life are driven by my will and attitude to succeed and these attributes have served me exceedingly well over the years. All of my accomplishments have been achieved by dint of hard work, discipline and dedication.
Throughout my adult life, I have been a member of several Clubs, Chambers and other organizations and have carefully chosen to serve in only a few select organizations/fields at the administrative level.
Firstly, I consciously decide on those organizations that are important and significant to me on a personal level and for which I have a love and passion, hence my involvement with my alma mater, insurance education and cricket administration.
In addition, I have timed my entry into these organizations to coincide with my readiness to fulfill the duties required of those Offices so as to add value to these organizations with my involvement, definitely not to gain anything from them. I have a very strong determination to fight in a fair and legal manner for whatever I know is just and right.
I have served as a Vice President then President of my alma mater, St Stanislaus College Old Students Association, for over 5 years during the late 90s and early 2000s, during which time we introduced our signature event, SAINTSFEST, which was held every year while I was associated with the College.
The funds raised from these events were used to enhance the environment at the College for the students and teachers. Only last summer, our Class of 1979 in association with the Board of Governors (BOG), refurbished the College’s staffroom and renamed it the “Fr. Fred Rigby Staffroom”.
I surely do not need to explain the rationale for my involvement with this prestigious institution.
I stay in regular contact with the BOG of the College and am always ready and willing to assist whenever the situation arises.
Another very important organization that I chose to serve in various capacities was the Insurance Institute of Guyana. At one time or another, I served as its Social Activities Coordinator, Education Committee Chairman, Secretary, Vice-President and then President.
During my Presidency in 2002, our Institute hosted the first AIIC Insurance Education Conference held in Guyana. In addition, I lectured extensively on various insurance education courses conducted by the Institute. Insurance is my chosen career and I thought it best to give back to the industry that nurtured me and my career.
The third entity which I chose to serve, cricket, has now become the most tumultuous, stressful and chaotic, due to the self-serving interests of a few disgruntled persons.
I have served in various capacities at every level of cricket administration and time and space do not permit me here to detail my accomplishments as an administrator, as those who served with me could easily attest to my competence.
Be that as it may, I can safely say that I have never slept through the performance of my cricketing or any other duties and responsibilities. There is a dire need for all parties to sit together at the table and have meaningful dialogue.
I have personally made attempts at conciliation between differing parties  and, in this regard, had even engaged Mr. Bissoondyal Singh, during his tenure as President of the DCB in 2010, when he was encountering issues with the membership and his Executive Committee (EC). Mr. Bissoondyal walked away from those talks.
Together in 2009, we had also engaged the GCA when that Area Association had some issues with the DCB.
The issues with the GCA were eventually resolved to a certain extent. I have always made sincere efforts towards having differences of opinions resolved in an amicable manner rather than pursue the hostile path.
I am sure there is a place for Messrs. Harper, Raphael, Ronald Williams and Bissoondyal in the cricket administration landscape, but they should not hold the cricketers and administrations to which they are opposed, to ransom in the courts and otherwise.
These guys just need to be patient and respect the democratic and legal process most of which, in any case, were initiated by this same group.
This conflict started with Mr. Bissoondyal publicly stating intention to run for the Presidency of the GCB in 2009.
Mr. Bissoondyal tried all the tricks in the books to hijack the DCB, including moving to the Court to throw out six EC members from the DCB in 2010, during the lead up to the DCB and the GCB’s elections in January 2011.
He was unsuccessful in his bid. The Chief Justice then ordered an EC meeting of the DCB to be held on January 17, 2011 which meeting was chaired by the said Bissoondyal.
At that meeting, Mr. Bissoondyal, in the presence of Mr. Harper, again attempted to unconstitutionally exclude myself and Mr. Rovin Stanley from the meeting, but was again unsuccessful.
After failing in all of his attempts to thwart the democratic process, a Special Resolution was read by the Secretary at the EC meeting and passed by a majority vote of 7 persons to zero with a few abstentions.
As directed by the Chief Justice, this Special Resolution set the date, time, venue and Returning Officer for the DCB’s AGM to be held on the January 22, 2011, at which AGM the undersigned was elected to serve as the President of the DCB.
It is now public knowledge that Mr. Bissoondyal blatantly disregarded the decisions and the Special Resolution passed at a Court ordered EC meeting and proceeded to hold an unconstitutional AGM, hence the genesis of the confusion at the DCB level.
You do not have to be a rocket scientist to decipher why Mr. Bissoondyal wanted to eject those Executives from the meeting. Obviously, the numbers were not in his favor and this was the only manner in which he could exert his control.
Finally, it is high time persons refrain from casting wild and reckless allegations or assertions about financial impropriety against anyone without any shred of evidence.
Here again, Mr. Boston should also strive to obtain a copy of the independent Rupert Foster report commissioned by the Ministry of Labour/Friendly Societies Registrar in 2011 who conducted a thorough investigation into the affairs of the GCB which eventually paved the way for the Annual General Meeting of the Guyana Cricket Board in July 2011.
It is very important to note that whenever the very foundation of your ambition is premised on shaky grounds, you are doomed to fail.
Raj Singh

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