United States of America’s 16th president Abraham Lincoln once said that “nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Under that searching light, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Guyana Football Federation (GFF)- and many other sports institutions in Guyana- have been found to be scandalously deficient.
The GCB and the GFF represent two of the more popular sports in Guyana; these sports are well funded by their international and regional bodies and have enjoyed overwhelming sponsorship over the years from the corporate community, and in many cases still do.
So why are these national institutions in turmoil and football and cricket starved of real development at every conceivable stratum? They are headed by executives who have lost sight of the objectives they were mandated to pursue while becoming obsessed with self-aggrandisement.
Hence, the crumbling of the proverbial cookie! The GCB, headed by Chetram Singh since 1991, and the GFF, under the stewardship of Colin Klass since 1989, find themselves in a quandary – the GCB is in a crippling power struggle caused by two factions while the GFF, use the carrot and stick method to arbitrarily discriminate against its associations and affiliates with the aim of ‘keeping them in check’.
Both of these governing bodies might have also failed the accountability test in the recent past. There was the case of an unflattering report released by Design and Construction Services Limited (DCSL) where it was noted that they were unable to provide a comprehensive audit on the construction of two GCB hostels at LBI and Anna Regina due to the “inconsistent and conflicting” information provided by the board.
Additionally, there were numerous allegations of fraud, pointed out by Assistant Treasurer of the GCB Pretipaul Jaigobin, who also claimed that he was doused with acid because he was very vocal about the financial impropriety that was being practiced by a few board members. Further, the GCB has lost three major sponsors in two years in Neal & Massy, Guyoil and Republic Bank.
Then it was noted in the GFF financial statement of 2010 that $50,396,944 and $21,406,819 were spent on women’s and youth football last year. There is also the infamous FIFA Goal Project, which is yet to be started since 2001 despite many assurances.
So after all these years, with sporadic results to show, these two executive bodies, who seem rather oblivious to what they should have been focusing on, it is only fitting that they step down and let new, more innovative ideas contend in order to stem the current degradation.
Singh has decided not to seek re-election but there still remains the warring factions that include current vice president Bissoondial Singh and general secretary Anand Sanasie, two influential businessmen, on separate sides of the divide.
Singh and Sanasie are also on separate sides of the troubled Demerara Cricket Board (DCB), or absence thereof of a DCB due to a court ruling that prohibits both factions from performing the duties on behalf of the institution. On the other hand, it is possible that the GCB elections, slated for July 10, might go ahead with just the Berbice and Essequibo Cricket Boards, purportedly with former secretary of the Board Bishwa Panday and marketing officer of the GCB Ramsey Ali.
Klass has at no point indicated that he is ready to relinquish his position, rather he would have been returned to the helm unopposed had it not been for the court injunction that was brought by the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) last month. The GFA was not granted any constitutional rights to vote despite meeting the requirements set out by the governing body.
Therefore it seems likely that the GFF imbroglio will continue unabated since it is unclear whether Klass is still the president because the life of his four-year tenure has ended. Added to that, the elections have not taken place so the question remains whether Klass will step down.
The answer might be a resounding no. Klass is now acting Caribbean Football Union vice president, perhaps until the end of FIFA bribery-for-votes hearing and investigations.
So, after this grim depiction of just a few of many more missteps from these governing bodies it seems as if Guyanese and the suffering athletes will be made to wait a while longer before new ideas for development come from new executive bodies.
The current executives have been tested and were found to be lacking, badly.
