`I am eligible to run’

— Four-time Olympian Aliann Pompey opines she is a qualified and suitable candidate to contest GOA’s Vice Presidency

“In my opinion, I am a suitable candidate and I tick all the boxes.”

So said four -time Olympian, Aliann Pompey yesterday ahead of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) Electoral General Meeting (EGM) scheduled for Sunday at Olympic House.

However, in a correspondence seen by this publication, Pompey was deemed ineligible to contest one of the three Vice President positions due to article 14.4.1 “being a national of Guyana and ordinarily resident in Guyana.”

The USA-based Pompey, told this publication that she is qualified and suitable and hopes to be present for the election and appeal to Congress to legitimize her candidacy.

The validity of the correspondence is now under the microscope after Secretary General of the body, Hector Edwards, denied any knowledge of being its author.

In an email sent to the Secretary General and the Assistant Secretary General of the GOA, Pompey wrote that there was an error when she submitted her information which may have been the reason for her alleged ineligibility.

The Commonwealth Games gold and silver medalist and Chairman of the Pan Am Sports Athletes Commission, wrote the following:

Dear Secretary General & Assistant Secretary

General,

I hope this correspondence reaches you in good health and spirits.

In submitting my information for nomination for the upcoming GOA elections, I inadvertently used my address in NY. I want to clarify a few things in the hope that it makes a difference.

I do have a local address in Guyana. In fact I own two properties (addresses were listed). I have a bank account in Guyana and pay appropriate taxes as a citizen. I hold only a Guyana passport.

I am aware of the constitution item 1.4.1 which states that candidates must be “a national of Guyana and ordinarily a resident in Guyana”. I didn’t think I would be excluded from candidacy because of the use of the phrase “ordinarily a resident”. In British law, the phrase is used to determine two things - tax liability and a citizen’s right to return to their country for any reason at any time - not to determine how much time they spend in that country.

My contention is that if the spirit of the constitution was to be applied to people living in Guyana 100% of the time or a specified amount of time, it would have explicitly said so.

My hope is to be present for the election and appeal to Congress to legitimize my candidacy in the spirit of the constitution.

Director of Sport and president of the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA), Steve Ninvalle, Guyana Hockey Board president Philip Fernandes and Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) Cristy Campbell are the other individuals contesting the Vice President positions.

The EGM is scheduled to be held from 17:00hrs at Olympic House.