… says Calvin Roberts
AFTER witnessing Essequibo plummet to another defeat in a Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)-organised Inter-county tournament, I wrote an opinion piece where I mentioned that all the necessaries will be in place for a cricket match in Guyana, but the game will not be played.
With the recent merry-go-round that has been taking place within one of our County boards, that may very well be the scenario whenever a GCB Inter-county tournament surfaces and I believe it is time for president of the GCB, Mr Chetram ‘Chetty’ Singh, to put his hand up and stop the madness that is plaguing the gentleman’s game here in the Land of Many Waters.
A well-learned legal practitioner, who chooses to remain anonymous, shared my views while the ‘men in the street’, some of whom are ardent cricket fans, wish to know what Chetty is doing with regard to the fiasco that is surrounding our cricket.
While recognising one body may cause a problem with the other, the next best thing ‘Chetty’ needs to do is call for fresh elections, where the voice of those concerned can be heard and seen with the results.
But before he does so, he needs to notify those involved that the buck stops with him and it’s not just notifying them, but also instilling in them the reasons for his actions. After all, he still controls the GCB, since that entity has not held elections as yet (and that’s another issue).
From the moment – it should be recalled – that things got out of hand in 2009 when a ‘No-Confidence’ motion was filed against one of the parties involved in the present fiasco, ‘Chetty’ should have put his hand up and stepped in to resolve matters, as things blew out of proportion from there on.
Yes, I know some may say these individuals are mature persons who should be able to sit down and come to a compromise with regard to cricket and those involved in playing the game, but certainly, their actions say differently.
When one thing is agreed upon, a mere 12 hours after you find a Court Order is sought or used to prevent same from occurring, hence the back and forth rumblings continue and I will say this is not a matter for the Courts to decide on.
I say so because should the Court rule in favour of one side, the other will file an appeal against the decision and before you know it, the merry-go-round will begin spinning again while the two-year life of the board expires.
Then the question will be: Who has the right to call the elections to elect a new set of office-bearers, since both parties will continue to claim their rights to the office of the county board and we will be back to square one?
Suffice it to say, while Essequibo appear as the perennial whipping boys of Guyana’s cricket, their board is in tip top shape along with that of Berbice, in comparison to the embattled one.
Yes, we know ‘Chetty’ has decided not to seek re-election as president of the GCB, but as it stands now, he is still in charge of that entity and what better way to vacate office than to pass judgment on a matter that deserves his urgent and undivided attention.
While being honoured as a hero in the Berbice Cricket Board’s (BCB) Tribute to Heroes Programme last Saturday, Singh said he served cricket because of his love and passion for the game, doing so as head of the GCB and Director of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the past 20 years.
Unquestionably, no one can doubt ‘Chetty’s’ work as a cricket administrator; for while he was in charge of the stewardship of the GCB, Guyana won six consecutive Under-19 titles between 1992 and 1999, along with several regional first-class tournaments, including the first-ever Stanford and WICB T20 tournaments.
But all that will be overshadowed, if he does nothing with regard to the fiasco surrounding cricket in Demerara, while another matter of concern is the election of office-bearers for the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA), which was set for last month but was rescheduled due to the late possession of the Association’s constitution.
Concerned executives of the GCB met with the Friendly Society Act Tuesday afternoon, wherein the latter declared the accounts of the GCB to be in good order, while they begun an inter-departmental enquiry within the GCB which should take them about two weeks to complete, which means ‘Chetty’ is still the head of the GCB (until the elections) and needs to show so.
Some may be annoyed with his decision while some may approve, but at the end of the day, it’s his place to ensure the image of the game is not tarnished by individuals whose main intention is to seek personal gains while forgetting about the need to promote and further develop Guyana’s cricket.
Act now ‘Chetty’ depart with your head held high in the interest of Guyana’s cricket.