acting president  not  being recognised
WITH the absence of ailing president and long serving West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) director Chetram Singh and at a time when Guyana’s cricket is in dire need of a pick me up state following the dismal performance of the senior national team over the past three years, the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) was thrown into a state of mayhem at its statutory meeting scheduled  for last Friday in the GCB’s boardroom.
According to president of the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) and Treasurer of the GCB Asif Ahmad, vice- president with responsibilities for administration Faizal Bacchus was appointed to the acting president’s position by Singh, who informed the entire executive committee of the GCB of same via a letter, prior to his departure overseas for medical treatment.
“It is appalling to note that Mr. Bacchus who is the vice- president of both the ECB and the GCB, holding the responsibilities of administration in the latter, is by Constitutional right, the man in charge of the GCB in the absence of the president and is not being allowed to execute his duties.
However, having presided over the GCB during the Guyana leg of the Zimbabwe tour of the West Indies amicably well, Bacchus who took over at the helm of  the GCB on 26th February, was told by the chairman of selectors Claude Raphael, he was not fit to head the GCB,” stated Ahmad.
According to Ahmad, who was addressing a press briefing during Essequibo’s fourth round match against Berbice at the Anna Regina Community Centre ground on Saturday, a heated argument ensued at the statutory meeting, which resulted in Bacchus, Secretary of the GCB Anand Sanassie and himself exiting same.
“Both Bissoondyal Singh and Prittipaul Jaigobin who are both a vice- president and assistant treasurer of the GCB, along with Raphael rejected the Constitution when shown to them by the Secretary of the GCB, with Singh and Jaigobin hurling abusive words at Bacchus” said Ahmad.
He continued, “We saw this as a direct disrespect to the chair of the GCB, especially when the other vice- president who has responsibilities for Cricket Development within the GCB, said the president had no right to appoint Bacchus as acting president prior to his departure.”
According to Ahmad, an emergency meeting was held by the ECB prior to his press briefing, where he sought the advice of the various area boards which make up the ECB and it was there an unanimous decision was taken to support Bacchus as the acting president of the GCB.
“We will not be adhering to any decision coming out of that meeting, as it was not a legally documented one as constituted by the GCB. Added to that, the ECB has sought and gotten the support of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) on this issue with the Ancient County president throwing his support behind us.
We are only recognising Mr. Bacchus as the president of the GCB as constituted by the governing body for cricket in Guyana, in the absence of the president and should those who are in opposition of this appointment continue to do so, the ECB will be petitioning the other Counties to make a decision with regards to who should head the GCB according to the constitution” said Ahmad.
When asked to comment on the matter and whether  the GCB president has been informed of the situation, Bacchus said that he is the acting president of the GCB as constituted by that body and having spoken with Singh, he did not update him with the situation, as he did not saw it fit to do so now.
When contacted for a comment, vice- president of the GCB and president of the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) respectively Bissoondyal Singh said he cannot comment on such an issue and directed this reporter to the GCB’s Public Relations Officer (PRO) Mr. Terry Holder wherein efforts to contact him proved futile.