The Indo-Caribbean Federation, based in New York, USA, held its bi-annual election last Sunday, March 10 to choose its executives to run the organization’s affairs for the next two years. The election was held at its office on Liberty Avenue in Richmond Hill New York. The last election was held in 2022.
Several of the incumbent officers were re-elected, giving continuity and experience to the body. Incumbent President Ralph Tamesh, formerly of Leguan, Wakenaam, and Georgetown, as well as a few other executive members, has been re-elected. This will be Tamesh’s seventh term as President. He has been with the Federation for over 35 years serving in various capacities. Dr Vijai Lillah has been re-elected as Vice-President. Dr Lillah has been with the ICF for over 12 years.
The Federation was founded in 1984 by several community leaders formerly of Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica, and Suriname. The founders included Bhanu Dwarika, Vishnu Bandhu, Baytoram Ramharack, Vishnu Bisram, Ravi Dev, Rudra Nath, Ramesh Kalicharran, Gora Singh, Isherdat Ramdehal, and Mahadai Das, among others. The latter five are deceased.
The ICF has been organizing the annual East Indian Arrival Day celebrations in America since 1985 as well as hosting an annual cricket match for 32 years. Before the election, President Tamesh gave a report of the organization’s many activities over the last two years that included cultural variety concerts, cricket, publications, social get-togethers, luncheons for seniors, bus trips, charitable work (at Port Mourant and Leguan Hospitals, Guyana Blind Institute in Georgetown ) in Guyana, Trinidad, and other islands. He also gave a report on the financial state of the organization. He thanked the outgoing executive and committee members for their dedication and tireless service to the Federation in organizing its many activities and fundraising.
Sunday’s election was supervised by this writer. The other elected officers are Sangita Seetaram as the new Secretary, Pamela Persaud as the new Treasurer, and Radhika Olarte as assistant. Secretary/Asst. Treasurer. Committee Members: Lilly Lilliah, Jasodra Thakoordeen, Son Son Sonipersaud, Sabrina Dyal, Vanessa Matura, Yvonne Singh, Sunita Sukhram, Anoop Dhanpat, Shanta Sookram, and Deocalli Ramnarine.
The elected Board of Directors are: Frank Singh, former President of Marine Funding, a member of the Federation since 1987, Stanley Raj CEO of Main Street Insurance another veteran of the ICF, who has been with the Federation for over 30 years; John Aaron and Manager of the United States Women cricket team and former President of the Atlantis Cricket Club in New York, and Capil Seetaram President of Brooklyn Cash Register.
In his re-election speech, Tamesh thanked the members for reposing confidence in his leadership and giving him another term at the organization’s helm. He commits that “the Federation will continue to propagate our rich culture and heritage also our humanitarian service here in the US and abroad”.
