OBVIOUSLY fed up with the numerous theatrics flowing out of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony met with executives of the GCB yesterday morning in his Ministry’s Boardroom and discussed with them the much publicised problems which he warned could harm the image of the Board. The Minister had convened the meeting following reports in the local print media drawing attention to rifts in the Board’s executive, preceded by the throwing of a corrosive substance in the face of assistant treasurer Prittipaul Jaigobin last Tuesday.
The meeting identified the issues affecting the organisation and sought to determine how they could be resolved.
Against the background in which the presence of more than one constitution presented a problem, it was agreed that a committee comprising one member each from the Ministry and the GCB and a representative of the legal fraternity would be set up to draft a new constitution and present it to the membership for ratification.
Advice was made available to the GCB members on the application of systems for the more efficient handling of financial matters and about ways to secure value for money when undertaking large construction works.
Dr Anthony appealed to the Board’s representatives to put aside the animosity developed over the past months and asked those who previously represented factions to speak with one voice.
The Minister was accompanied by Permanent Secretary, Mr Alfred King and the Director of Sport in the National Sports Commission (NSC) Mr Neil Kumar.
The Board’s delegation was headed by the president, Chetram Singh and included the two vice-presidents, Bissoondyal Singh and Faizul Bacchus, secretary Anand Sanasie, assistant secretary Ronald Williams, Marketing Manager Ramsay Ali, Public Relations Officer Terry Holder and Chairman of Selectors Claude Raphael.
They expressed appreciation to the Minister for the interest demonstrated and pledged to make the development of Guyana’s cricket the primary focus in the future.
How well they go about doing this is left to be seen, especially since both Guyana and Barbados have been identified to host the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Twenty20 tournament next month.
For far too long, there has been an internal rambling within the executives of the GCB and for Dr Anthony to step in and have his say speaks volumes of the escalation with regard to the ramblings.
Jaigobin’s incident, which is being handled by the law enforcement authorities and has seen no individual being prosecuted as yet, should not go unnoticed within the sporting fraternity here in Guyana.
Jaigobin had made a stop at a beer garden a few miles from his home, when an unknown assailant went up to him and threw the substance into his face, using some words at the same time.
According to one faction of the GCB, such an act had to do with his enquiries at a statutory meeting of the GCB the previous Friday, testimony to which, Jaigobin himself gave a list of names to the police who he felt had a part to play with his incident.
If his allegations are true, then the alleged perpetrators should be asked to face the full brunt of the law, having the maximum penalty for such a hideous crime given to them.
But what if it is false then what penalty should be imposed on the individual(s) making the allegations?
I am no judge, but false allegations do carry an imprisonment as a penalty, the amount of time I am unable to say and certainly the law enforcement agency would need to take this into consideration.
Added to that, this reporter had the opportunity of visiting the recently commissioned Chetram Singh Centre of Excellence which is situated at La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara.
Early last month, I was taken on a guided tour by former vice-president of the GCB Alvin Johnson and did not see any signs of cracking (I have construction experience, based on my years spent in Barbados) in the walls.
I am no big critic, but had I seen such I would have pointed same out to Mr Johnson, along with some of the pointers we both figured out during our tour. So for the so-called cracks to appear less than one month after is puzzling.
Furthermore, the removal of the toilet tanks flush handles by persons who are being asked to do such just to make another look bad is no way forward to gain power and I would like to urge the GCB president to do a thorough investigation and let his findings be made public with regard to the individuals who are damaging the property of the GCB.
Come on gentlemen, we need to stop this ‘lil boy’ attitude and get our cricket moving.
Instead of fighting within, formalise a plan to get Guyana’s cricket from the bottom of the Regional ladder; for if you need a reminder, the Combined Campuses and Colleges defeated us within three days in the WICB President’s Cup four-day competition and that was a slap in the face of Guyana’s cricket.
What’s next, only God knows!