MINISTER of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) Dr. Frank Anthony on Wednesday last told a press briefing, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) was aware of what was occurring in Guyana’s cricket, before the formation of the Clive Lloyd led Interim Management Committee (IMC). At the time of the announcement, Dr. Anthony who was accompanied at the head table by Attorney General Anil Nandalall, MCYS Permanent Secretary Alfred King and Chairman of the IMC Clive Lloyd, was addressing the media on the progress of the work of the IMC.
“I think in fairness and when you want to have objectivity, it is only fair that you have both sides of the story. Unfortunately … the persons from the WICB who is representing the Region mind you, would have issued what they feel the International Cricket Council (ICC) needed to hear” said Dr. Anthony.
He was referring to a press statement made by the ICC, the governing body for cricket which openly condemned the setting up of the IMC by the Government of Guyana to oversee the day to day affairs of cricket for the next six months, while certain irregularities were ironed out in the former Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).
Dr. Anthony added, “One of the things we would be doing, is chronicling what exactly transpired in Guyana and sending that to the ICC so that future discussions of the ICC and they can take these matters into consideration.
When this thing was started to brew in Guyana and before the Courts and the Government of Guyana got involved, when they were allegations flying around, I know that some of the stakeholders involved would have sent a document to the WICB asking them to come in and investigate.
The WICB did not think at the moment that this matter was important enough to come in and investigate. I understand the same document was sent to the ICC, so they could not have been unaware of the allegations that have happened.”
He said the Government of Guyana, by setting up the IMC is not asking for much from the international bodies, but rather have the WICB who claims to be the parent body of cricket, to come in and work with us to clear up the issues that are affecting Guyana’s cricket.
“We don’t wish to get caught up in the larger international politics as it relates to cricket or even sports politics. We got some specific problems at our board level; can you work with us to fix them. We cannot understand why there is such reluctance” said Dr. Anthony.
Referring to a press release which reportedly sent out by the Parliamentary opposition and published in some sections of the media, Dr. Anthony said communication with representatives from the Opposition unearth unawareness of same.
“What is interesting is that press release is purporting to advance the GCB’s position, but it seems as there is some mischief there and I am sure that the Opposition parties will clarify that issue later.”
Expounding on some of the issues raised in the said statement, Dr. Anthony highlighted the current situation in which he said the WICB was aware of what was occurring in the administration of cricket in Guyana.
“They (WICB) were aware. When there were allegations of fraudulent elections, they were informed by the stakeholders and they did nothing. Explain to me and the public at large, when the stakeholders in Guyana were appealing for help, why did the WICB turn a blind eye towards same?
They did not come up with anything. But when you look at the composition of the WICB, it is a board that is made up of territorial members. Who make up the WICB board, directors from Guyana, Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad and the Leeward and Windward Islands.”
Dr Anthony added, “How does a Board that is comprised in such a manner, how can they investigate themselves when inheriting a composition of the said board creates a conflict of interest, which means they don’t have an impartial mind.
When you are telling me that you got impartial mechanism to deal with dispute resolution after turning a blind eye in the first instant when the stakeholders of Guyana’s cricket were crying out for help and did nothing, you did not bother to even send in an investigative team to deal with this matter, how can you say your structure is impartial.”
“In fact, your structure is partial because the two directors that represented Guyana are some of the same people who are embroiled in controversy at the local level.”
Referring to the amendment in one of the ICC Articles of Association during the governing body’s meeting last November, which states Naturally a Government (or any office thereof) would also not be prevented from investigating the affairs of a member board in order to ascertain whether any criminal offence has been committed, Dr. Anthony they would not ignore the decision of the High Courts.
“They are telling us we must ignore our Court’s decision. The WICB’s position is we have an agent in Guyana that is called the GCB and they are the only ones we the WICB is authorizing to run cricket in Guyana.
They are also saying that if we don’t accept their position, then they are going to remove matches and they will do what they please. Well guess what, I think in the Caribbean region, persons accept the WICB who is a private company that somehow and by some means, decide they have a monopoly on cricket in the Caribbean.
But they can only do so, with the consent of the member Governments in the Caribbean and I don’t know which member Government has consented to that and if they are talking about speaking on behalf of cricket in the Caribbean, why did they incorporate themselves in a tax haven jurisdiction and not stay within one of the CARICOM territories” quizzed Dr. Anthony.
He queried the WICB’s refusal to listen to the pleas of the people of the Region who want their cricket to be fixed, so that same can be run in an accountable and transparent manner.
“Somehow, things are not right here and while we might have problems at the Caribbean or Regional level, we are saying we want to fix national cricket here in Guyana. We are not interfering with what is happening up there, but wish to point out that something is not right up there as well” stated Dr. Anthony.
He pointed out some governing bodies in the Region who are members of the WICB and has not held an election in six years.
“We understand that these things are happening and they constitute the directorship of the WICB. But the reputation and integrity of a board, is as good as the members who sit there and if they are there because of other things, then it talks of the reputation and integrity of the WICB.”
He reiterated his call to fix national cricket in Guyana and called out to the WICB and even the ICC, to work and collaborate with the Government of Guyana, to help fix cricket in Guyana, while saying he knows the ICC would not condone malpractices in the game of cricket.
“What is alarming is that at the international level, the sub-committee that deals with good governance on cricket is headed by the president of the WICB. Yet, when it comes to good governance in the Caribbean, it is being violated by the WICB and something got to be wrong here, so let’s fix it.
All we are saying is ‘work with us to fix the problems in our cricket.’ We are not going to be afraid of the threats to remove matches. In fact they have already done so, but it does not solve the problem in Guyana.
The problem in Guyana is bad administration and we want to solve the local cricket problems. We are not going to be threatened and whether they like it or not, we will continue to do the work of the IMC as it is in the interest of the general public for us to do so, as we think it is right and we will bring in the best talent to fix it and we have no apologies to anybody, when we do it” concluded Dr. Anthony.