Although the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) elections are scheduled to be held on Monday, several issues have been raised with Cricket Ombudsman, Kamal Ramkarran by Opposition Member of Parliament Jermaine Figueira and the Lusignan Sports Club while the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) is yet to make its submission.
During an invited comment yesterday via telephone, Ramkarran told this publication that ECB had wanted to make submissions but have not done so as yet. The Cricket Ombudsman noted that he has been getting information on the register of clubs in Berbice and Demerara and have been sharing those with the parties involved.
The elections were originally billed to take place on February 26 but the ECB, through the law offices of Satram and Satram, raised several concerns which forced the elections to be postponed.
“Mr. Satram, Attorney-at-Law, has raised issues of my function of verifying registers. Now, I have seen no register and I believe your election was held pursuant to Court orders and I believe the same was so with the Berbice Cricket Board. I do not believe the same is with Essequibo Cricket Board and if one of the functions is to verify the register and Essequibo raises the issue of the verification of register, then if everyone would agree sure, registers are above board, then we could proceed, but if Essequibo raised those concerns last night, raised the issue of verification of register, I could not in good conscience proceed with the election in their absence in light of the allegation that they issued to be resolved,” Ramkarran stated on February 26.
He contended, “I believe on an issue of fairness and to be fair to the people who have raised contentions about the election, about the process, we should hold off on elections until such time that those complaints have been resolved if not to the satisfaction of the people raising those complaints, at least objectively speaking, everybody will give their opinion, everything is clear and above board and the election is held there will be no contention.”
Meanwhile, Ramkarran pointed out that at the time of the interview, he has not yet responded to the letter addressed to him by shadow minister of sports, Figueira.
“I am in receipt of information regarding the register of cricket clubs submitted to you from the township of Linden and surrounding areas within Region 10,” Figueria’s letter stated while adding, “I have serious reservations and concerns regarding the veracity of the register submitted to you.”
The letter added, “I am unaware that there is a plethora of the existence of active cricket clubs as per the submitted register and I urge you to visit the region on a fact-finding mission to determine the status of cricket within the region and whether the clubs submitted in name in fact exist or are active and functional…I wish to convey Sir, that I am unaware of any structured cricket league existing in the region or of any competitions being played in any form within either the township or region.”
Also, the Lusignan Sports Club has written to Ramkarran raising issues concerning the East Coast Cricket Board.
In the letter seen by this publication dated March 21, 2021 under the subject “Clarification regarding Lusignan Sports Club in Register of Clubs,” the letter contended “The Lusignan Sports Club (LSC) understands that document/s under the letterhead of the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) and stamped with a DCB blue-ink stamp, are circulating on social media suggesting a ‘register of clubs’ under the banner of the Demerara Cricket Board.”
The letter conveyed, “We were not invited over the past several years including 2021, to participate in any ECCB’s [East Coast Cricket Board] elections or meeting nor did any representative from our club attend.”
The letter clarified that the president, first and second vice-presidents are the only ones who represent the club at any meeting and anyone else doing so, is doing so illegally and ultra vires and would bring any process into disrepute.
According to Ramkarran, both letters from Figueria and the Lusignan Sports Club were shared with the DCB and he is awaiting their comments.
The Attorney-at-Law, when asked about the possibility of these issues resulting in a hindrance to Monday’s election, reasoned that he has to study the situation to see exactly what the Guyana Cricket Administration Act specifies.
He opined that he thinks there is very little he could do since the Demerara Cricket Board elections were held in pursuant to a court order but will be looking at the response to see the way forward.
