Alloy warns: Beware of detractors

Following is Alloy Lequay’s final speech as president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control. It was delivered on Saturday at the Sir Frank Worrell Cricket Development Centre at Balmain Village, Couva.

“Friday we celebrated the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. Today (Saturday) we concluded an historic annual general meeting and demonstrated our recognition of ethical conduct in public life and our acceptance of the teachings of the holy scriptures. We now signal the start of another era. “I take my leave as your president and a member of the Board in a mood of serene contentment and total satisfaction after 47 years of service —- 13 as an assistant secretary, nine as a vice-president and 25 as your president. “You will undoubtedly understand my emotions at this time and my desire to ensure that the institution we have designed and built continues to expand and grow in stature in the challenging years ahead.
“Over the last two decades we have structured and constructed an organisation on solid ground. You have been builders, the hewers of wood and the drawers of water who have painstakingly laboured in the vineyard with courage and commitment. “Our strength has been due to the solid pillars on which we built. Our cornerstone has been the foundation on which our philosophy of service has been structured. “How do you safeguard the immediate future, not only from the natural disasters that the ‘foolish man’ encountered but more importantly from predators.

“My life experiences and challenges which I have documented in my autobiography ‘‘Winning against the Tide’’ tells of the pitfalls and currents which one must overcome if we are not to be submerged by internal conflicts and I will be irresponsible if in my final address as ‘The Chief’ if  I did not send strong signals of vigilance and perceptiveness. “I have been privileged to lead through a period of change and challenge and I am convinced that if you are united in your purpose, internal differences can be addressed and inevitable conflicts contained and resolved in a single entity you can then confront the detractors who will always be seeking a window of opportunity to inherit what they did not help to build. “You will not always recognise them for at times they will be clothed in garments of hypocrisy described as the patronage that vice pays to virtue. Your maturity and loyalty and the moral compass which have influenced your decisions and guided your journey will be invaluable assets in dealing with problematic situations. “You have a major responsibility as stakeholders in the nation’s number one sports organisation to nurture an environment which will encourage structured growth fuelled by human understanding and fellowship. “However, notwithstanding what we have accomplished and what you are capable of achieving you must recognise that solutions of today may not necessarily resolve the problems of tomorrow.

“You must therefore consistently strive to improve your management expertise and capability, recognising that the technological age has advanced at a rapid rate. You cannot afford to be caught in a quagmire of mediocrity or your vision of reaching a plateau of excellence will not be achieved. “Loyalty and length of service meritorious though it might be cannot be the only yardstick for advancement. Quality performance must be a critical criteria. “As you move on there will be periods of frustration and doubt. It is at these times you must turn to the source of the power of God. Tap into his eternal reservoir of wisdom, he does not demand a re-connection fee. “I trust that in this my final presidential remarks you will find some source of inspiration and motivation as you welcome the new dawn. “From tomorrow I take my place among you as a member of staff and I assure you my commitment and dedication to duty with the same passion that has characterised my tenure of office. “May God continue to guide your pathway to progress.”