PORT-OF-SPAIN, CMC-The West Indies Players Association (WIPA) has thrown its support behind the decision by leading St.Kitts attorney Charles Wilkin QC to resign as chairman of the WICB Governance Committee.
President Wavell Hinds says while WIPA regrets Wilkin’s decision it does not come as a surprise following what he suggests was misleading information released by the WICB.
Wilkin says he was forced to step down in the face of blunt resistance by territorial boards to a change in the way directors are appointed.
“Mr. Wilkin is a former Leeward Islands cricketer and a highly reputable attorney. His resignation is regrettable”said Hinds.
“But we support his position and would have been surprised had he acted otherwise in the face of a blatant attempt by the WICB to manipulate the truth about the board’s reaction to the recommendations of its own governance committee. WIPA is disappointed but not surprised”.
WIPA is accusing the WICB of misleading the public into thinking that the major recommendations of the committee were accepted by the board.
A statement from the WICB had said that the Board of Directors agreed to 10 recommendations of the Governance Committee, deferred decisions on six, while not agreeing to one.
“The recent release by eminent St Kitt’s attorney, Charles Wilkin QC, in which he clarified the reasons for his resignation from the Governance Committee of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) which he chaired, contradicts the impression conveyed by the WICB in a news release that the major recommendations of the committee were accepted by the board” said WIPA.
Wilkin was chair of a three man committee that was given the task by the board to review the structure of the WICB based on the outlines of a strategic plan.
WIPA’s CEO Michael Hall, has described the board’s approach to governance as a serious problem and says it’s at the core of most of the issues between WIPA and the WICB.
“It is not coincidental that almost every relationship that the board has, whether with players, CEOs, sponsors, Heads of Government, arbitrators or independent volunteers has been dogged by controversy and acrimony” Hall said.
“Clearly, since the same people are intent on doing the same things the same way, nothing will change.”