President of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) K Juman Yassin on Thursday resigned from the Electoral Commission set up to monitor the upcoming elections of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).
Yassin in an interview with the media said his decision was based on a letter he received from Attorney-at-Law Gordon Gilhuys.
“He had written me and carbon copied a letter to FIFA which he did mention the fact that one of the members of the Electoral Committee that is Mr. Stephen Lewis is a partner in the law firm of Ford, Amsterdam and Lewis and this firm represented the Georgetown Football Association (GFA).
“Mr. Gilhuys in his letter stated that there may be some problems with regards to Mr. Lewis being on the Electoral Committee. I looked at it and to myself felt there may be an apparent conflict of interest. I don’t doubt the integrity of Mr. Lewis but I don’t think the Guyana Football Federation should put themselves in a position in which they will be any thoughts of anybody going to the courts in regards of that.”
The GOA President said he subsequently wrote the General Secretary of the GFF Noel Adonis indicating his concerns and views why Lewis should not be on the committee.
“But if the GFF and FIFA feel that it should be, so then I would tender my resignation. I received an email this morning (yesterday) from Mr. Adonis indicating that my resignation has been accepted so I will like to wish the other members of the Electoral Committee all the best. I could say that Ms. Emily Dodson has now moved up as chairman, Mr. Mark Waldron as the deputy.”
However, GFF’s Adonis said that work still continues as Yassin’s resignation will not affect the work of the committee.
“I think the specifications and the descriptions for the Electoral Committee is pretty clear and what we are talking about here and the members of that committee are lawyers so they will be able to ensure that they operate in accordance with the terms of reference.
“You see the extent that the framers of the articles and the conditions governing the Electoral Committee would feel that the current members of the Electoral Committee met those requirements then it seems to me that we have no other recourse but to proceed with what is presently in place.”
He added that since Yassin’s resignation there are still three members as one member was chosen as an alternate should something arise.
“So what would have happened is that the alternate member would have been upgraded to be a full member on that committee,” explained Adonis.
