Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Aug 27, 2011 Sports
As Government sets up IMC to run Guyana’s cricket
By Sean Devers
In the wake of the Bharrat Jagdeo Government’s decision to set up an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to replace the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) indefinably in running the affairs of Guyana’s cricket, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has put Barbados on standby to host matches scheduled for Guyana this year.
Next month’s two Day/Night t20 female Internationals between West Indies and Pakistan fixed for the Guyana National Stadium and October’s regional One-day competition set for Guyana could now be shifted to Barbados.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) and its member Board the WICB frowns on political interference in national cricket Boards under their jurisdiction and a WICB official yesterday confirmed that Barbados has been put on standby.
“The Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) President Joel Garner has already been informed of the possibility of Barbados hosting the Pakistan games and the Regional One-Day competition due to the problems in Guyana. This is a very serious situation and while Mr Jagdeo is the President of Guyana he does not have the authority to put people in positions on an IMC to replace the National cricket board,” the WICB official informed.
The ICC has given its member boards two years to become ‘democratised’ and free from government and political interference in a bid to improve governance within the game. At its last annual conference in Hong Kong the ICC unanimously supported the proposal to amend its constitution for member boards to have free elections.
“By the end of 2012, all member boards must have changed or adopted their constitution to comply with the provisions of free elections and non-interference from government bodies,” Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive said.
The boards most affected by the change are those of Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh; in Pakistan the President of the country appoints the board chairman; in Sri Lanka the board is effectively answering to the sports ministry; in Bangladesh all board Presidents are government-appointed.
It has also been reported that Jagdeo, who met with Guyana’s cricket stakeholders at his residence last week, will replace the two Directors from the Ramsay Ali led GCB on the WICB.
However, the WICB official was adamant that the Guyana Head-of-State has no power to make changes to the WICB membership.
When contacted GCB Secretary and WICB Director Anand Sanasie informed that he had no comments to make on the issue since a WICB teleconference was held on Friday night and the WICB was dealing with the matter.
It is understood that the WICB is still giving Guyana a few days to get its act together before officially removing the t20 matches and the Regional One-Day competition and a senior WICB executive explained that Guyana’s Sports Minister Dr Frank Anthony has informed the WICB’s CEO of his Government’s intentions to take over the running of Guyana’s cricket with the installation of the IMC.
“The Guyana Sports Minister called but we want him to formally write to us on the matter since this is a very serious issue which could not only affect Guyana’s cricket but West Indies cricket since if Guyana and its players are no longer an official part of West Indies cricket we would have lost a founder member of the WICB and Guyana’s players will not be considered for regional selection,” a source close the WICB office told Kaieteur Sport yesterday.
WICB President Julian Hunte is keen to meet Jagdeo in a face-to-face discussion this week on the issue of who runs Guyana’s cricket and it is understood that the WICB Head is willing to travel to Guyana for the meeting.
According to Guyana’s Sports Ministry the IMC will include two members from the Present GCB, two from the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), two from the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) and one each from the two feuding factions of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB).
Other members will be added to the Committee but it is unclear who will select these persons and what criteria will be used. It is also reported that Guyana’s Sports Minister will be given the top position on the IMC but a major concern for many in the cricket fraternity is his lack of a proper cricketing background, even in cricket Administration.
More importantly would be the issue of appointing persons who should have a technical and practical knowledge of cricket to pick the Guyana team for the Regional One-Day competition since the GCB already have a selection committee in place.
The WICB source said this IMC decision, which is opposed by some of Guyana’s cricket officials might not matter to President Jagdeo who is not a ‘big cricket person’ or to others who might be using this situation for political points or their own agendas, but it could adversely affect the players, the innocent party in this whole controversy.
“If the situation is not resolved quickly then the players will suffer since in the worst case scenario, Guyana could be disbanded from West Indies cricket and the players will not be allowed to participate at any regional level as an official Guyana team. It will be sad if the lust to show power supersedes to desire to give Guyana’s cricketers the opportunity to make cricket a worthwhile career if they work hard,” the source continued.
The GCB problems escalated when an injunction in the middle of the Regional under-19 series in Guyana by a member of the BCB over the results of last GCB elections caused the previous GCB to be mandated to run the Board before a decision was made by the Courts.
This resulted in problems especially in payments for services during the under-19 series since the signatories to the GCB Bank Account had already been changed over to the ‘new’ GCB.
As Kaieteur News had mentioned in an article over two months ago when the Courts and the Friendly Societies Act had held up the cricket, the Court had no authority over the cricket Board and the GCB and the Minister of Sport should have sat down to trash out the matter and arrive at an amicable solution then.
This was proved by Chief Justice Ian Chang decision to dismiss the latest case against the GCB saying that the various cricket Boards are not entities legally and the Court has no jurisdiction over them.
While the Chief Justice, in his apparent interest to see cricket, Guyana’s national Sport, prosper suggested that the Government get involved, he has no authority to mandate the Sports Ministry to intervene and might not have even been aware of the position of the International umbrella body for world cricket on political interference in national boards.
If this Government selected IMC is allowed to take over from the GCB to run the affairs of Guyana’s cricket a precedent could be set with all other national sporting organisations. This has the potential to lead to the possible exclusion from teams and positions of person due to political affiliation.
What is urgently needed is the amending of the constitution of the GCB which was made at a time when cricket was not the commercial product is today.
Politicians should focus on working to improve the economy of Guyana and lend support to this country’s national sport…not try to take it over.
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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