Letter to the Sports Editor… Claude Raphael continues with his mission of misinformation and confusion

Oct 04, 2017 Sports, https://www.kaieteurnewsonline...ation-and-confusion/

Dear Sports Editor,
Raphael’s most recent outburst in the KN of Sept 26th directed mainly at myself and a few other administrators demands immediate attention and outrage. I must express my extreme disquiet regarding this latest bout of provocation, crassness and vulgarity which has been allowed to pervade our space for the longest while without any commensurate responses from the Board’s officials. This latest episode has descended into the depths of indecency, disrespect and has definitely crossed the line with regards to defamation of reputation and character.
I have received numerous calls since this publication and, thus, have been in consultation with my attorneys regarding this situation and will be guided by their advice. Some of his comments were made on matters which are sub judice; some were blatant falsehoods; some are truly defamatory and were deliberately designed to injure my reputation and character and those of the other Board officials. I would now attempt to separate the issues that I think require a response and ignore the other usual recycled propaganda talking points.
If you have not yet read his article, I would like to urge everyone to take the time to carefully read Claude Raphael’s half page rampage against myself and the other GCB executive. We all know that negative news sells. However, I think he may have succeeded in outdoing and also inadvertently exposing himself this time around. In that article, Raphael seems to have unwittingly revealed the exact time and reason why cricket administration in Guyana became embroiled in widespread rumors, controversiesand propaganda. He and his disgruntled group were the architects of same after his loss of the WICB Directorship! I will now attempt to dissect his recollections and cleverly concealed statements and, hopefully, provide readers with a better understanding of the true version of the events that actually occurred at the time.
Sojourn into cricket administration
Other than club cricket, where I guess we all started, my first major stint as a cricket administrator was in 1984, when I was elected as the first Secretary of the fledgling Guyana Third Class Cricket Association, which was the body under which we played most of our cricket. I quickly realized that I had a flair for administration and represented our club at the East Bank Demerara Cricket Association general meetings for several years. I served in almost every single capacity with that body. Raphael accuses me along with Gopaul Singh and Anand Sanasie of hatching some evil plot around 2000 to take over cricket in Guyana. It should be noted herein that Chetram Singh, Claude Raphael and Bish Panday were at the helm of Guyana’s cricket ever since 1989. I represented Neville Sarjoo, who was the President of EBDCA, on the GCB constitution reform committee headed by Moses Bhagwan in 1990/91. That was the Committee that rewrote the constitutions for the GCB and the new one for the Demerara Cricket Board. The GCB ran both Guyana and Demerara cricket ever since 1943 and everyone felt that they should be separated as the other counties had their own boards. We were developing really good cricketers on the East Bank and West Demerara areas but were experiencing a lot of insularity from the DCB. Our Officers were even ostracized from executive positions within the DCB even though we possessed the talent and administrative ability as proven in the strength and quality of our Associations at the time. Executive positions were farmed out to all those who promised votes to the kings. It was small wonder that we formed an alliance and a pressure group to make our voices heard with the powers that be. However, we were never as nasty and vulgar as our opponents now are.
Raphael’s power base disturbed – Loss of WICB Directorship
It all commenced when Raphael claimed that ‘Chetram Singh orchestrated the replacement of Bish Panday as Secretary with Anand Sanasie’ in January 2009. He quite clearly forgot or inadvertently omitted to mention that Bish Panday had challenged Chetram Singh for the Presidency and ended up losing both the Presidency and his position as Secretary. Another omission to the mental acrobatics of Raphael was that he was also a WICB Director up to that said meeting in January 2009. This is normally a 2 year term but Raphael was absent for a full year during his tenure. The Executive of the GCB would normally vote for the 2 Directors to the WICB at their first statutory EC meeting following the AGM. Claude Raphael was replaced as a WICB director by the said Anand Sanasie in February 2009. All hell then broke loose! This democratic action by the GCB Executive at the time was the genesis of all the manufactured controversies that enveloped cricket administration in Guyana. Sitting with Raphael on the GCB Executive at that time were other members of his disgruntled group, namely, Bissoondyal Singh, Ronald Williams and Pretipaul Jaigobin. From my recollection, Raphael had also previously replaced Bish Panday as a WICB Director in February 2007 through the exact same process and there was no big hullabaloo by Bish Panday or anyone. The democratic process was adhered to and respected by everyone. It seems that the democratic process becomes wrong when it does not favor some persons. Democracy must prevail.
Acid throwing incident
Raphael again mentions the acid throwing incident where Pretipaul Jaigobin was disfigured clearly insinuating that someone from the Board may have committed that dastardly act. Mr. Jaigobin was advised to report that matter to the Police and to my knowledge he has never done so. This shameless group has continued to use this incident to its fullest advantage for its propaganda effect. Why would you suffer such injury to your body and not desire to have the perpetrator dealt with by the full force of the law? What does the family of Mr. Jaigobin think about the prostitution of their  calamity? Boggles my mind! Ridiculous!!
Infamous July 2011 GCB AGM
At the time of his eventual ouster in July 2011, I can clearly recall Raphael and his group attempting to stop the GCB AGM of Sunday July 10th 2011 on the day before it was actually scheduled to be held (Can you believe that? On a Saturday?). His group’s contention to the court was that there was not going to be a quorum at the GCB’s AGM so the court should put a halt to the AGM and its elections. The Honorable Judge James Bovell-Drakes quite correctly threw out his group’s fallacious submission and wanton abuse of the court’s time and resources. Raphael keeps referring to the July 2011 meeting as being illegal but he and his entire entourage were present at the same ‘illegal’ meeting which was fully videotaped and clearly showed that a quorum was present. If he thought the meeting was illegal, why did he participate in same? Any sane thinking person would have walked out in protest. As part of their plot, this same group used all of their influence within the governing party at the time and the media to stop and stall the GCB AGM that was constitutionally due since January 2011. It would be a great revelation if the Ministers that were part of that process could shed some light about that inordinate 6 month delay. Can you believe this is the same group that is now clamoring for elections that has been basically outlawed by the said flawed Cricket Act that they so proudly acclaim to have championed though Parliament? We at the GCB fully support elections and AGMs be held within the confines of the constitution and the Act that now governs them.

(Due to is length this letter by Raj Singh will be continues in tomorrow’s edition)