TTCBC explains support for WICB presidential candidate Chetram Singh

Stabroek News
June 18, 2003

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The Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control yesterday issued a statement explaining their reasons for their support for West Indies Cricket Board presidential candidate Chetram Singh.

Singh will run against Willie Rodriguez of Trinidad for the post of president of the West Indies Cricket Board at next month’s elections after incumbent Wes Hall informed that he would not be seeking re-election because of health reasons.

The statement signed by Alloy Lequay, president and Chief Executive of the TTCBC states that “information in the media on nominations for the WICB election of a president and vice-president requires clarification as it conveys a misrepresentation of the facts. The process and procedure involving the TTCBC were as follows.”

a) The Executive Committee of the WICB on being advised of Rev. Hall’s unavailability due to a medical problem discussed among themselves a suitable candidate.

b) We were advised that their prime consideration was to ensure continuity of the plans and programme which they had put in place under Rev. Hall’s leadership. In their collective judgement, they agreed that it would be in the best interest of the WICB at this point in time, to nominate a successor who was on the Board.

c) The Executive considered at least three (3) candidates and agreed among themselves that Mr. Chetram Singh was the most suitable nominee in the circumstances. Mr. Singh, a member of the WICB Executive and a long standing member of the WICB, agreed to serve.

d) The information was conveyed to me and Ellis Lewis, one of T&T’s representative on the WICB, by our Richard de Souza who is a member of the WICB Executive.

e) These discussions were finalized at a WICB Executive meeting in Barbados on Friday 6th June.

f) On Thursday 5th, I received a telephone call from Jackie Hendricks, president of the Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA) who advised that JCA were considering nominating William Rodriguez of T.T. I informed Mr. Hendricks of the process that was taking place and promised to convey his request for support for Mr. Rodrizguez to Mr. de Souza on his return from Barbados on June 7th where he was attending a WICB Executive Meeting.

g) On Monday 9th, I advised Mr. Hendricks that Mr. de Souza had made a commitment to the WICB Executive Members to support Messrs. Singh and Banks for the offices of president and vice-president respectively and our Board therefore had a moral commitment to honour this agreement.

h) We made no communication with Mr Rodriguez as at no point in time were we seeking a nominee having regard to the WICB’s Executive Members collective agreement.

i) The Executive of the TTCBC were advised of the matter at a meeting on June 12th and endorsed our commitment to support Messrs. Singh and Banks at the WICB’s Annual General Meeting on July 12th and 13th.

k) The statement in the print media that I mandated our representatives on the WICB to support Mr. Singh was erroneous and deliberately misleading. I have no such authority. Finally I operate on the principle that “nothing is politically right if it is morally wrong.”

My cricket colleagues support this view hence our moral position.

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