The cricket bill is a political solution which will create more chaos in the future

Dear Editor,

I read the letters from Messrs Elroy Stephney, Intikhab Sankar and Winston Boston on the cricket bill. While Mr Boston  and Mr Sankar seemed to have read the bill, Mr Sankar chose to address pertinent issues whilst Boston sought to glorify his mentor. Mr Stephney seemed not to grasp the effect of the final version of the bill, or rather chose to appear unaware as he once served on the now infamous IMC.

This very Elroy Stephney served under the present cricket administrators as Manager of the National Under 15 team, but suddenly finds himself attacking them. In fact, Mr Stephney ran for office and supported the losing presidential candidate in the recent Essequibo Cricket Board elections. Many in this country’s cricket administration seem to only get upset when things are not going their way. Mr Stephney should be concerned that he was involved in Essequibo cricket and was an appointed member to the government’s IMC when about $400,000 was spent to attend and cater for IMC meetings at a time when money was not available to run their youth cricket and to support an IMC that achieved nothing.

Thanks to one good gentleman, whose dedication and willpower has ensured that Guyana still has a cricket board and the WICB continues to play international cricket in Guyana, I was able to obtain a copy of the report prepared by Minister Frank Anthony and presented to parliament on the final day of the last sitting. Mr Stephney should get a copy and read the bill before answering the following questions:

1. Why can’t the president of the GCB be a director of the WICB?

2. How can the select committee legislate constitutions for a sporting organization that answers to an international body and is a shareholder for a regional body?
3. Why did the select committee write its own constitutions for the GCB and the DCB but allowed the present archaic constitution of the BCB to remain and even be placed in the bill?

4. How can the select committee decide that Linden will become a full, new member of the DCB with 7 votes but any new member, after the passage of the bill, can only have 3 votes? Is it true that this band aid political proposal was made by Minister Anthony to get opposition members to agree to the bill? This proposal does not address the ills and woes that affect the Linden area and is mere political gimmickry.

5. Why did the select committee choose to disband the GCB and transfer all of its assets to a new entity? Is this not nationalization without compensation? GCB has a commercial arm in the form of an incorporated entity in which all of its assets are vested; how can this select committee seek to legislate the transfer of these assets without the permission or agreement of the shareholders and membership?

6. Why does the GCB have to submit its accounts to the National Assembly when it does not receive any government funding? Will the new GCB be catered for in the national budget but receive no funding?

7. Why were none of the recommendations from the WICB, GCB & DCB given any consideration?

I have many more questions on the bill, but will address them to the appropriate authority. However, I simply ask again that Mr Stephney reads the bill and fully comprehends that it is a political solution which will create more chaos in the future. The cricket bill, in its present form, is unconstitutional and will only bring about more litigation.

Yours faithfully,
Fizul Bacchus
President of Essequibo Cricket Board