By Marlon Munroe
The Berbice Cricket Board is to meet on August 14 to decide the fate of David Black, the delegate who voted at the controversial Guyana Cricket Board elections even though the county board had instructed him not to.
Berbice board President Keith Foster said that the General Council of the BCB met on July 12 to discuss Black’s actions and all that he wants now is for the Vice-President to have a “fair and transparent hearing.” Black’s vote appeared to have overcome a quorum problem at the GCB elections as up to that point only one board – Essequibo – was taking part. It is being argued that his casting a vote brought the Berbice board into the fold even though it had explicitly stated that it was boycotting the poll.
The council will meet and decide a “suitable penalty” for Black.
When asked what the worst-case scenario is for Black, Foster told Stabroek Sport that a no-confidence vote can be moved against him or he can be asked to vacate his position on the board.
Asked to comment on why Black might have defected, Foster said he could not comprehend the action especially since Black had not stated his displeasure at the BCB executive’s decision to pull out of the elections.
“It is hard to say why he did that, he knew of the board’s decision to pull out of the elections and he never mentioned or indicated that he did not like the decision. He is part and parcel of the board’s decision-making and this was unanimous. It is not unusual to have a different opinion but if there is a unanimous decision why can’t you go ahead with that,” Foster declared.
When Stabroek Sport contacted Black he said that when he decided to go against the decision of the BCB he was acting “naturally with the belief that the time for stalling the development of cricket should stop.”
According to the cricket administrator he was never informed that the BCB was pulling out but rather he learnt of this in the press since he was in Georgetown conducting some personal business last month. Further he said that he received a registered mail on July 8 informing him of the decision not to participate in the elections and he disposed of it in the garbage.
Black contended that some delegates of the Berbice Board attended the AGM last Sunday and submitted a list but he felt that the issue about who should replace Chetram Singh as head was about personalities. This, Black said, could not be condoned since the “game is bigger than all of us.”
Meanwhile a source also questioned statements made by outgoing president Chetram Singh regarding delegates from associations promising him votes at the elections in 2009.
Singh was quoted as saying, “It was a fair exchange and I couldn’t accept their vote and not offer something in return but that did not work out as planned. When I got sick one group even thought that I wouldn’t survive and the fighting started,” Singh commented, regarding some of the alliances he had formed before his tumultuous final term in office. The source said the promising of votes with the expectation of something in return is problematic.
Unconstitutional
Ali replaced Singh amidst controversy at the GCC pavilion where only 10 delegates voted – nine from Essequibo and Black from Berbice. As a result of the way the elections were conducted many officials labelled it as unconstitutional and illegal especially since only one county board voted fully.
Fourteen members constitute a quorum and no less than two county boards must contest the GCB elections according to its constitution but Ali and other members, including former president Chetram Singh, said that 12 delegates formed a quorum. And since the other delegates left they viewed it as “abstaining from voting”.
Audit
Singh also disclosed that the executive on Monday discussed the properties that are owned by the GCB and an audit will be done from the period of November 1 to July 9 as early as possible. These findings will be made although Ali has reiterated that there was nothing wrong with the books of the organisation.
Also high on the agenda was Guyana’s need to win the upcoming Regional One-day tournament in October. He said that everything will be done to ensure Guyana wins the tournament after the game has been in the doldrums for close to five years, both administratively and on the field.
