QPCC members urged to resolve issues internally
Keith Clement
Published: Express
Sunday, December 18, 2016
QPCC LETTER
Calls are being made for the newly elected management team of the most famous club in the Caribbean— Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC)—to bring to an immediate end the concerns raised by former honorary secretary Ansel Howell.
On October 10, 2016, a resolution was submitted by Howell to the management committee according to article 26 (2) of the club’s constitution calling for a special general meeting to remove its president for an alleged six breaches outlined in his correspondence. (The Sunday Guardian has obtained a copy of the resolution dated October 10.)
The move is to have former West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Deryck Murray removed as president. According to a club source, who spoke to the Sunday Guardian on the condition of anonymity, “Queen’s Park is the biggest club in T&T with over 3,000 members and the leadership cannot satisfy everyone in what he/she says or does, and that’s why this matter needed to be treated with all the common sense we have collectively in the club, rather than by the emotions of members, because if every time we have a disagreement, is it that we will just get rid of the individual, I don’t think so.
“It’s rather disappointing that my club cannot resolve its internal issues in a professional manner. If we are in disagreement with the actions of our leader then it’s the management responsibility to address such, especially since the concerns are raised by the secretary, who is a key administrator in our management team.â€
The source, who is a long-standing member and very influential figure at the club, said “This is not the first time the club experienced this kind of fallout and divide among its membership, but we’ve found ways to resolve them in the past and now should be no different, especially considering the somewhat frivolous nature of the issues raised.
Indeed, some of the members contacted by the Guardian appeared unclear as to the nature of the issues and none of them appeared to be serious enough to warrent the president’s removal. The source questioned the objective of the resolution: “Is it to address concerns raised by the secretary or is it to get rid of the president? And that is what I’m not clear about.â€
According to the three-page letter which contains the names of the 51 members that presented the resolution and which was signed by the secretary in accordance with Rule 26.2 of the club’s constitution, the Sunday Guardian understands that before the December 6 AGM, 12 of the individuals have since withdrawn their names via written correspondence to the management committee explaining that they were unclear about the nature of the resolution and they are no longer prepared to support it.
The source added, “The question I have for the management committee is how legitimate is the resolution before December 6, because if 12 persons have withdrawn their signatures from it then the membership need to know if it met the constitution requirement before it was tabled at the AGM in the first places.â€
The source is calling on the management committee to examine the contents of the resolution and come to a decision that is in the best interest of the club.
The Sunday Guardian understands that the resolution was set for hearing at a meeting on October 25, 2016, but the management committee sought legal advice from the club’s attorneys. It was found that the resolution was not in keeping with the club’s constitution. A notice was sent out by the management committee to the membership explaining the advice from the attorneys indicating that the meeting was ultra vires.
According to the source: “In response, one of the members challenged the position of the club’s attorneys and threatened legal action should the resolution not be dealt with. The management committee then took a position to have the issue raised at the AGM whereby it was hoped that the issues be resolved in a transparent fashion with the membership present.â€
During the discussions at the AGM, the Chief Justice Ivor Archie, a member of the club, recommended that the matter be removed from the membership, and a fact -finding team be appointed to resolve the matter within 35 days.
