Dear Editors,
I refer to an article in the Stabroek News of Tuesday July 28 headlined ‘Roopnaraine promises to work with WICB to find a solution.’
1.While the government, West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) have decided to meet, why are the stakeholders of Guyana cricket namely, the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB), the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA), the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) and the Upper Demerara Cricket Association (UDCA) continually being ignored. This is the basis of problems since the GCB is illegally elected into office and cannot represent the majority of the members of the cricket fraternity.
- The Cricket Administration Act 2012 (CAA) evolved from a countrywide consultation process that utilized contributions from all cricket stakeholders throughout Guyana including the GCB, BCB, GCA, ECCB, UDCA, WDCA and EBCA, and yes, the WICB and was not imposed on anyone.
One must remember that legislation was recommended as a permanent solution to our cricket crisis by Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang and the Bill was subjected to twenty meetings of the Parliamentary Select Committee representing all stakeholders, and comprising at least four highly respected lawyers.
There was total consensus on the part of all parties at the Parliamentary Select Committee level to pass the Bill. There was no opposition when the Bill was passed into law.
It is misleading for the President of the WICB and Director Anand Sanasie to say that the CAA was imposed on the members. The present government was the opposition during the process of the CAA and it fully supported the Bill. We now expect that the government will ensure that the Bill is implemented in order to resolve the cricket crisis.
The members of the UDCA and in particular the residents of Linden are anxious to see this Act implemented now that the glimmer of hope provided by the Act for our youngsters seems to be fading fast with each passing day as national cricket teams, junior and senior, male and female, are being selected without any consideration for youngsters from Linden. This is an injustice and is totally unacceptable.
The CAA will restore democracy and order, accountability and integrity to our woeful cricket climate so let’s implement this Act now. We cannot continue to prepare our young cricketers within the present climate of discrimination and illegality.
With regard to the WICB town hall meeting, this could only be described as a flop. It was quite evident from the start that WICB President Dave Cameron came to hoodwink the government into supporting the illegal GCB instead of listening to the constituent members of Guyana cricket. His entire demeanour was one of talking down to the participants by telling them that he had not come to solve Guyana’s cricket problems and that they will have to do that themselves.
He also said that the problems cannot be resolved in the courts, totally oblivious of the fact that his local representatives were instrumental in self-servingly having the cricket matters locked up in court by injunction of the principal members in our cricket viz, the Berbice Cricket Board, Georgetown Cricket Association, East Coast Cricket Board, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Parliament, the Attorney-General, the Minister of Sport and the Cricket Ombudsman.
The entire Town Hall meeting was stage-managed and did not provide the climate for interactive discussions that could have made it meaningful. It became a question and answer charade that was not helpful and was truly disappointing to all who attended as the WICB President failed to answer the questions addressed to him in relation to the crisis in Guyana cricket.
It is important to note that for the 2 ½ hours of that Town Hall cricket meeting, not one of the 120 odd attendees spoke in favour or in support of the GCB. The one and only support for the GCB came from President Dave Cameron himself, who refused to answer the question from the floor relating to why the WICB refused to investigate the serious and well-documented charges of illegal elections and financial irregularities of the GCB.
On the other hand it was indeed surprising to see that the media was very lax in the coverage of this event. After a week there was limited reporting and nothing at all on the picketing exercise that expressed the concerns of young persons associated with our cricket.
As I said before the entire Town Hall event seemed to be orchestrated for the benefit of misleading the Guyanese people including the government. Certainly it did nothing to bring us any nearer to resolving our cricket crisis.
In my opinion only free and fair elections through implementation of the CAA would.
Yours faithfully,
Marvin Burns
Executive Member of The Upper Demerara Cricket Association
