(Letter to the Sports Editor)

MINISTER George Norton’s recent pronouncement that the current Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) has been illegal for years is a bold and profound statement of fact. Arguably, it’s the first time that a Minister of Government has dared to publicly oppose this all-powerful illegal body.

One can recall that the law was enacted to resolve the chaos that consumed our administration from approximately ten years ago due largely to charges of unlawful elections, visa frauds and financial improprieties.

Through those years the GCB made every effort to prevent the resolution of the chaos by:
1. The Initiation of numerous court injunctions and violations of court orders.
2. Challenge to the reading of the 2012 cricket administration Bill in Parliament.
3. Challenge to the Cricket Ombudsman.
4. Challenge to the Cricket Administration Act 2014.
5. Acquiring an Injunction to prevent the holding of elections of the membership of the GCB, effectively giving themselves unlawful and unending ownership of Guyana Cricket.
6. Intervention in the court-ordered elections of the Berbice Cricket Board.
The GCB’s unlawful appointment of a Cricket Ombudsman is in defiance of the CA 2014 Act which clearly outlines the role of the Minister under the Section “Holding of the First Elections of the GCB”.

This clearly reflects the nature of a presumptuous body that wants to stay in power regardless of what it takes.
Their actions have been unlawful, self-serving, divisive and destructive to Guyana and West Indies Cricket and must be dealt with now.

Their claims of a “flaw” in the Act cannot justify the perpetual illegality of their tenure. The intent of the law was to resolve not perpetuate the lawlessness and illegality in our cricket. In our multiracial society why is a GCB consisting of members of one ethnic group, who never played cricket, know nothing about cricket administration, care nothing about cricket or cricketers so intent on staying in power although it Is public knowledge that the GCB is an illegal entity?

Also, why is it that very senior official of both the present and the previous Governments of Guyana and also the Judiciary show favour to this illegal group although they are violating all tenets of democracy, proper accountability and are setting a bad example for the development and mentoring of our youngsters from the National school level upwards.
Minister Norton is in order to call them out and must be congratulated.
He should now follow up his proclamation with swift and positive actions towards the holding of free and fair elections of the GCB in keeping with the Cricket Administration Act 2014 and which must include the participation of all rightful cricket stakeholders.
It is time!
Michael Vanderstoop