MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sport Dr Frank Anthony yesterday remarked that in the interest of cricket, all stakeholders should collaborate with the Interim Management Committee (IMC) and reiterated that the committee’s establishment was not meant to exclude persons but instead the ministry wants everyone involved in the effort to resolve the cricketing issue in Guyana. He added that if persons cannot be involved at the IMC level, they can offer inputs at the various committee levels.
The minister made this remark, while addressing media personnel at a press briefing in the ministry’s boardroom in Main Street.
Minister Anthony said that the former Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) members by themselves cannot and could not solve the problems of Guyana’s cricket and added that the problems were bigger than them.
He stressed that the board was given ample time to resolve the problems and only after they failed to do so, did the Government go the way of the IMC.
Problems in cricket are not unique to Guyana but what is instead exceptional is that the Government is taking a more proactive stand in trying to fix the problem, Minister Anthony said.
Responding to a media personnel’s question on the West Indies Cricket Board’s concerns over the formation of the IMC, Minister Anthony said that “our courts have territorial jurisdiction and our courts have made a ruling and we are carrying out that ruling.”
He added that, “The WICB is a regional body and they have to respect what the member country’s court would have ruled.”
With respect to calls for the removal of Former West Indies and Guyanese cricketer Clive Lloyd as the Chairman of the IMC, Minister Anthony said that “from the point of view of the Government, we have no intention of doing so.”
“We have appointed Mr Lloyd to lead the IMC because of his profound knowledge and experience with cricket and we think that he is the best person to do so,”
The IMC which has a six-month duration was set up to address the many management and transparency problems that have been plaguing and distracting Guyanese cricket including issues surrounding allegations of financial improprieties at the level of the cricket boards.
The board will also examine the cost over runs for the various facilities to determine their appropriateness, development and implement a cricket development programme at the national and regional levels and draft a new constitution, which will be presented to all county boards and other stakeholders for their deliberations and adoption.