An internal bickering between two officials of the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) escalated at the weekend after Junior Vice President of the association Gary Pratt made a bold step in calling for a financial audit into the operations of the association.
Pratt and a few other executives are at odds with GTTA president Godfrey Munroe as it relates to the daily operations of the body and have levelled a series of allegations against the sitting President and the General Secretary.
But Munroe is not taking the allegations to him lightly and has since challenged Pratt to substantiate his claims with evidence and to call in the Police to investigate if he feels there is skullduggery afoot.
The conflict heated up when Pratt sent an email to several bodies both locally and internationally seeking their intervention.
Pratt has written the National Sports Commission through the Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, the Guyana Olympic Association, through its treasurer, former national table tennis player Garfield Wiltshire, the Caribbean Table Tennis Federation through its president Theodore Matthews, and the Latin American Table Tennis Union LATTU) through former Caribbean men’s singles champion Juan Vila of the Dominican Republic seeking their intervention.
The correspondence, a copy of which was seen by Stabroek Sport, is calling for an audit of the finances of the GTTA among other things.
“It is with deep regret that I am asking for an audit of the finances and assets of the GTTA and also the management of the body by the President and General Secretary.”
Stabroek Sport understands that Pratt’s call for a financial audit is also heavily endorsed by parents and other supporters of the sport who are concerned with the management of the association.
“I have arrived at this position based on the numerous approach of parents and table tennis supporters to me on the functioning of the executives of the GTTA,” Pratt wrote.
“These issues center on: Team selection, team participation in international tournaments, the funding of teams for international tournaments, the non-participation of teams in international tournaments and the non-response to questions directed to the executives by parents and supporters,” stated Pratt.
He also voiced concerns over the unavailability of the constitution that the current elected body functions under.
“I have made several requests to the General Secretary to have this resolved but to date, it has not,” Pratt stated in his email.
Pratt said he was concerned whether there were monies owed to businesses that the GTTA has done business with as well as the audit of the finances for the year 2018.
Pratt, who this year resigned his post as chairman of the selection committee, after the GTTA refused to adhere to its own selection policy for the Caribbean Championships and Pan Am Qualifiers staged here, said the non-presentation or non-existence of budgets to the executive for approval of teams travelling on international tours, the recent issue of the last-minute cancellation of the junior team tour and the non-participation of the senior team to the Pan Am Cup all needs to be addressed.
“The fact that a current member of the executive has to seek external help speaks volumes of the way this current executive functions. In the interest of the sport I love, I hope this will be addressed by the relevant authorities,” Pratt concluded in his email.
Call in the Police, says Munroe
But the GTTA President has lashed back at Pratt and accused him of operating in an “unethical and mischievous” manner “outside the ambits of this association using covert methods to undermine the work and integrity under the guise of seeking audit and assets positions.”
“This goes outside the ambits of ethics and governance principles,” Munroe said in his response to the Vice President via email.
Munroe reminded that the GTTA is an independent and duly constituted organisation which is governed under the statutes of the International Table Tennis Federation.
“Let [me] indicate to you that nowhere in the provisions gives you the authority to audit the GTTA accounts or assets.”
The GTTA President claimed that Pratt had prior knowledge of the financial records, reports and statements as provided by the Treasurer and even deliberated on the issues, activities and programmes at meetings.
“I, also wish to caution you that failure to provide evidence to substantiate your claims in your expedition to vilify the good work of members of this association would have severe legal repercussions.”
Munroe denied that there is any skullduggery afoot at the association.
“There is nothing sinister happening in this association. I will not accommodate and be engaging with you in any back-and-forth after this missive. My time will be spent bringing positive changes to this association.
“I, therefore, wish to formally indicate to you that If you are displeased I, suggest that you await the duly scheduled period for an audit which is at the end of the tenure of the life of this association 2019 or call the police,” Munroe said.
Munroe concluded the response by noting that he will ask executive members of the GTTA to disregard any request from Pratt under the statues of the anti-harassment policy given his conduct to bring the sport into disrepute.
