Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Anand Sanasie said yesterday that the GCB played no part in the appointment of the Cricket Ombudsman adding that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the GCB is set for January 25.
“The GCB neither the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) played any part in the appointment of the cricket Ombudsman, Dr. Winston McGowan,” Sanasie stated in a telephone interview with this publication yesterday.
The selection of a Cricket Ombudsman resulted in the passage of the Cricket Administration Bill (CAB) in parliament and it being signed into law by President Donald Ramotar.
Sanasie said yesterday that he was uncertain of the role of the Ombudsman.
“So far I’m not sure what his duty is and he hasn’t made contact with the GCB,” he said.
Last week Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon identified Dr. McGowan as the Cricket Ombudsman at his weekly press briefing.
According to Sanasie, Dr. McGowan’s appointment was done by the Government of Guyana. “In my opinion the appointment of the Ombudsman was solely done by the Government,” he opined.
According to the Guyana Cricket Administration Act of 2014, the Cricket Ombudsman is tasked with setting a date for the staging of the GCB AGM.
But Sanasie yesterday said: “As it is constitutionally required the GCB has set its AGM for the 25th January, with due notice to its members and was published in the daily prints in December.”
When questioned if the incumbent President of the GCB Dru Bahadur will run again and the concern of cricket stakeholders about the hosting of GCB’s AGM before the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) AGM, which has not yet been held and will probably be held after the GCB elections, Sanasie declined to answer the former but responded to the latter by stating that the GCB holds its AGM according to its constitution. In an invited comment yesterday Dr. McGowan said he knows which board he has to contact and has done so with the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB), with the DCB and the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) yet to be contacted. However, he said that will take a time because he was recently appointed.
President of the BCB Anil Beharry said he is aware of the date set for the GCB’s AGM and he has no objection to the appointment of the Ombudsman neither the CAB but declined to comment on any further question on the matter until the BCB holds its meeting next week.
Attempts to contact the ECB and the DCB president proved futile.
