–but you need to come better than that

Dear Editor

I THANK Mr. Anand Sanasie of the Guyana Cricket Board for taking the time to respond to my charge that racism has become part and parcel of the official management of cricket in Guyana.

Unfortunately, Mr. Sanasie did not address the substantive issues that I raised. He instead sought to take the discussion to places that have little relevance to the discussion.
The issue at hand has little or nothing to do with whether Mr. Jagdeo is a friend of the GCB; or whether Mr. Jagdeo and David Hinds have enough knowledge of cricket; or whether David Hinds has a problem with Mr. Jagdeo; or whether funding for the GCB comes from the Guyana government.

Mr. Sanasie spent some time on the ethnic composition of national teams; he cites more ethnically balanced teams than the one I cited. He says the selection committees are ethnically balanced, even as I cited the case of ethnic imbalance in team selection, that is the consequence of the problem.

The real problem is the ethnic dominance of decision-making; those who determine who gets what, when, where and how. Mr. Sanasie awkwardly avoided that central issue. So, for the benefit of readers, let me put the issue in context.
Here is the issue: Cricket is our national sport; it is part of our shared heritage. It is played by all ethnic groups in Guyana. It is one of the few areas of life that our competing ethnic groups have found some common purpose and joint nationalism.

It follows that its management should not be dominated by one ethnic group; the management institutions should not be monopolised by one ethnic group. Stakeholders, representative of the broad spectrum of the game’s participants, should not be systematically marginalised or excluded from management of the game.

This is what has happened to management of the sport in Guyana. It has had consequences for the fair distribution of resources; for who are encouraged to play the sport; for who gets selected to teams; for who enjoy the status that comes with the office and for the integrity of the sport in general.

This situation has taken root; it has become institutionalised; it has become normal. It is dangerous for the future of cricket, and race relations in Guyana.
I have observed that all the top decision makers of the GCB are Indo-Guyanese; from President, to Vice President, to Secretary, to Treasurer, to Assistant Secretary, to West Indies Cricket Board Directors and Representatives.

I am contending that five or nine Indo-Guyanese men, elected by Indo-Guyanese clubs and stakeholders cannot effectively represent the interests of Afro-Guyanese stakeholders and players and other ethnic groups. This cannot be the case in governance, or in politics, or in culture.

And it cannot and should not be the case in cricket.
Second, this ethnically one-sided GCB has been in office since 2009, because only individuals from three member-associations, which comprise mostly Indo-Guyanese clubs and are aligned to the top decision-makers, can occupy top offices in the GCB.
So, what we have had for the last decade is a reproduction of ethnic control, with the same group of individuals rotating the top positions among themselves. In effect, the GCB has been holding elections without a quorum for the last decade.

Thirdly, four member-associations and boards, not aligned to the top decision makers, have been prevented from participating in open elections, and so are not represented on the GCB. These associations represent areas of the country where Afro-Guyanese players and clubs abound. They are not part of decision making in Guyanese cricket. They do not benefit from the funds and resources the GCB receives from the West Indies Cricket Board.

These are the issues I want Mr. Sanasie and those who support him to address: First, agree to fair and open elections in which all member-boards and associations participate. Second, agree to a neutral cricket ombudsman to mediate between the factions.
Third, relinquish the ethnic grip on cricket management, so that cricket can flourish again in Guyana.

Finally, Mr. Sanasie says that I belong to the stakeholder’s group, and as such I have a “horse in the race.”
Let me assure Mr. Sanasie that I have two horses in this race. The first one is Afro-Guyanese interests as far as the management of a sport in which they have contributed beyond the call of duty.

Afro-Guyanese contribution to global cricket has helped in no small way to humanise the sport, and transform it into a source of empowerment, pride and culture for all Guyanese and West Indians. They are therefore entitled to be part of decision-making in the sport. I want Afro-Guyanese boys and girls to once again aspire to be president and secretary and treasurer of the GCB.

My second horse is the ethno-racial integrity of the sport. Cricket in Guyana is better when it is a source of ethno-racial harmony, rather than ethno-racial dominance.

Regards
David Hinds