Interim president of the T&T Super League (TTSL), Jameson Rigues, has called a virtual Emergency General Meeting with three items on the agenda, starting at 10 am on Saturday, a day before the Board’s scheduled resumption of its annual general meeting (AGM) virtually after, according to a release signed by league secretary Peter Thomas, the meeting was illegally aborted by Rigues on Sunday.
Late yesterday, Rigues in a release, advised that he came to the decision to have the meeting after receiving letters from an official of the TTSL and several of its members.
According to Rigues. he received correspondence from the secretary of a Board meeting held on Monday with a proposal to reconvene the TTSL annual general meeting (AGM) and from “certain TTSL members with requests to have Peter Thomas removed from the office of TTSL secretary”.
“For the record, I wish to confirm I was forced to bring the TTSL AGM 2020 to a close at 1.42 pm on November 29, 2020, while discussion was in progress on Agenda Item - h) Presentation and approval of the budget. This was done in my capacity as chairman of the AGM, first vice president, now interim president, according to the Constitution and Bye-Laws of the TTSL.
“Let me state, all reports of that Board meeting of December 1, as stated by the secretary, relate to discussions on reconvening an adjourned TTSL AGM 2020.
“For the sake of good order, I wish to reiterate the fact that as chairman of the TTSL AGM 2020 held on November 29, 2020, I called the meeting to a close. In short, the TTSL AGM 2020 is over, closed, not adjourned,” said Rigues in the release.
It was reported that on Sunday, the virtual AGM of the TTSL which was held to elect either Rigues or former T&T Strike Squad captain and defender Clayton Morris, as the replacement for former president Keith Look Loy who resigned in October, ended prematurely due to disruptions.
However, the release from the league secretary contradicts the above as it stated: “The TTSL is alarmed by the claim of interim president, Jameson Rigues that he has received permission from an unnamed person for the League to continue its AGM, including the by-election for the position of league president, at Cascadia Hotel.
“The Board notes the following: the 2020 AGM is already underway. The Board has already decided to resume the meeting virtually on Sunday, December 6, 2020 after it was illegally aborted by Mr Rigues on Sunday November 29.
“Cascadia hotel is being used by the Ministry of Health as a COVID-19 facility and it would be the height of irresponsibility to expose members to the attendant health risk by hosting a meeting there.
“Mr Rigues continues to operate unilaterally and refuses to accept the collective authority and decision making of the TTSL Board. We assure the public that Super League business being properly conducted by its membership and that the AGM will continue as scheduled.”
Meanwhile, Rigues who has objected to the staging of the elections virtually as he states it violates the process of secret-ballot that is required by the TTSL constitution, added in his release that he is awaiting the report of the AGM in keeping with the recording of the virtual AGM.
He said: “Those who so desire may wish to proceed to the Court of Arbitration to have an AGM that was closed, reconvened. Additionally, I am uncertain as to why the Board is adamant that a decision such the presidency of the TTSL should be made by a few members and not allow the good order of democracy to prevail.
“This, for me, is a sad attempt to manipulate the decision-making process. The TTSL was inaugurated with 24 members strong, who are shareholders of the organisation.
“At this turbulent time in T&T football, we should embrace all and encourage inclusiveness. The TTSL must never turn our backs on our own.”
In an effort to resolved the issues that the TTSL is facing Rigues has listed three items on the agenda including the membership status of all TTSL clubs; the removal and replacement of the secretary; and discussion on hosting the election of president as per the dictates of the TTSL Statutes.
Rigues, who reiterated in the release his commitment to have the proper conduct of TTSL’s business and bring transparency to its membership, advised that the Zoom link to the meeting will be forwarded to all members.
SOURCE: T&T Guardian
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