-no election in sight

DESPITE the mandatory date for the Guyana Cycling Federation’s (GCF) elections and Annual General Meeting having been long passed (March 31), there are still no signs or set date for the elections or resolutions to the issues that have been causing discord in the fraternity.

The issue of elections has been described as “not relevant” by embattled GCF President, Horace Burrowes.

He, at the time of that statement (Wednesday, last May 22), had announced that Guyana would be hosting the 2019 Caribbean Junior Cycling Championships.

Meanwhile, on the same day, Burrowes showed up to the council meeting of the GCF almost an hour late; in a correspondence seen by Chronicle Sport, the GCF had invited members of the council to a meeting on Wednesday, May 22, at Olympic House, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

The said meeting, which was slated to begin at 16:30hrs, did not start until 17:22hrs, according to persons who were present.

After the opening prayer and remarks by Burrowes about a “Stronger and united GCF 2019,” the meeting got down to “brass tacks” and it was here that licences, insurance and membership dues were discussed.
Burrowes tried to expel the Roraima Cycling club, represented by Bryan Allen, on the basis of the club owing three years’ dues.

However, Allen duly contested this by producing his receipts and proof of payment for 2016 and 2017.

Allen also noted that he had paid his 2018 fees, but did not receive a receipt for that payment; he however pointed out that the GCF Secretary Maria Leung had made a note of it in the GCF minutes of the 2018 AGM, something which Leung confirmed.

Despite Leung’s confirmation, Burrowes was adamant that Allen still owed fees and was bent on expelling the Roraima club; following an exchange, Burrowes got up and walked out of the building after ‘adjourning’ the meeting; all of this before the AGM and elections could be discussed.

However, the remaining members carried on the meeting in the presence of the GCF secretary and it was decided by the nine club representatives present that the tentative date for the 2019 AGM and elections would be June 19.

According to the GCF constitution, the AGM and elections must be held no later than March 31 of the stipulated term-end, which in this case is 2019.

Back in 2016, nine of the 11 clubs affiliated to the GCF had voted to install an Interim Management Committee (IMC) following concerns raised by cyclists and clubs about the performance of the Burrowes executive.

At that time, Burrowes said he had contacted the International Cycling Union (ICU) and the Confederation Pan-American Cycling International (COPACI) about the latest development and had also sent them a copy of the constitution.

Back then, Burrowes had revealed that the two organisations in their replies confirmed that he was the only recognised president of the GCF, adding that he would remain the president until the new elections in 2019, something yet to materialise.