Many persons believe that cricket remains the national game of Guyana.
It has also considered to be one of the most definitive factors of Caribbean integration and unity.
However, the administration of the game, both in Guyana and at the Regional level, has degenerated to lows that are sometimes unfathomable. This degeneration has reflected poorly, yet regrettably, in the quality of the game that is obtained today, the players’ lack of commitment to self and country and officials’ contempt to serve the game that they have been entrusted to serve.
In Guyana, many can attest to these misgivings. The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) is more polarised now than it has ever been and it is losing the credibility war. For the past two years there have been allegations that ranged from executive lawlessness and financial improprieties, poor leadership and to the usurping of authority by power hungry executives.
Further, there were red flags swirling around the accounts of the board and an audit was done, evaluations were also conducted on the hostel at La Bonne Intention (LBI) and Essequibo but to date the findings have not been made public. It was learnt that the findings are with the Sport Ministry and will be released shortly.
Added to that, some of the indiscretions of the governing body trickled down to the County boards of Essequibo and Demerara. The bright spot in Guyana’s cricket, on and off the field, was the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) and its teams; another fillip being the national team winning the inaugural Caribbean Twenty20 tournament and the opportunity to represent Guyana at Airtel Champions League in South Africa last year.
On the other hand, there was a brazen acid attack last year on an executive member which he believed stemmed from cricket related issues. That however, was never proven and many will not falter in agreeing, that perhaps, it stemmed from his hawkeyed scrutiny of the board’s finances such was the severity of the baggage that came with GCB. It was not the prettiest of paintings and those issues collectively left a veil of uncertainty over the board which certainly cannot convince anyone that it means well for the national sport.
And now, as that January 30 deadline draws near, all will be waiting to see what transpires.
From all intents and purposes these upcoming elections should bring a new era but how satisfied can one be with this notion if the same players from the old executive are seeking office?
Long standing President Chetram Singh had announced late last year that he will not be seeking reelection as president of the GCB. After 20 years as its head he resigned with bittersweet memories (most of the bitter coming in the final two years).
Singh’s decision has opened the door for Marketing Manager of the GCB Ramsay Ali, Vice President of GCB and President of Demerara Cricket Club (DCB) Bissondyal Singh and former General Secretary of the GCB Bishwa Panday to contest the post.
They have all outlined their vision for the restoration of the GCB’s image and to lift cricketing standards on the field. However, one wonders how sincere these candidates are and whether they are not strumming the tune that voters want to hear in an attempt to score cheap points?
None of these candidates, in any of their ostentatious presentations in the media, acquiesced to being part of the problem. None of them said openly that the board has problems and we feel, at least remotely, responsible for some of things that transpired and were allowed to escalate.
None of them said I am sorry. No apology to the corporate community, which has always been generous to the GCB.
The players, despite all odds, have still managed to bring some joy to followers’ hearts, and to the nation, which understands the strength and passion of the game.
Guyana’s cricketing woes, on and off the field, cannot be remedied by shortcuts and by persons of faint heart.
These problems certainly cannot be fixed by self-serving individuals with an extensive vocabulary; there is the need for decisive, and in this case, radical action and overhaul.
This current executive has sullied the reputation of the gentleman’s game by its in-house wrangling. And what is needed is not the discarding of a few members but rather the dissolution of all of them.
The GCB would fare better if there is a new executive body with a fresher perspective to start afresh. That body cannot do any worse,
starting with a clean slate on January 30. (Marlon Munroe)
