Dear Editor,
Editor, please permit me a response to Mr Fizul Bacchus’ letter in the Stabroek News dated August 23 ‘The cricket bill is a political solution which will create more chaos in the future’ in which he attempted to proclaim my ignorance of the impending Cricket Administration Bill. He sought to dismiss the Bill as being destructive to the continued existence of the present GCB from which I can only conclude that he supports the current administrative structure where only the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB) voted to install the regime, which is unconstitutional. On the contrary I have read the bill carefully, ascertaining that it represents considerable hope towards restoring sanity to the GCB. Permit me therefore to highlight a few points as being relevant to Mr Bacchus’s misguided concepts.
1. The Bill alludes to the Minister acting in consultation with the WICB to set a date for elections.
2. The Bill also provides for the Minister after meaningful consultation with the WICB to appoint a cricket Ombudsman who shall be responsible for the verification of legitimate clubs and perform the duties of Returning Officer. Isn’t this suggesting that the WICB will have to be involved before a legitimate GCB is installed?
3. The Bill further highlights the transfer of rights whereby all employees of the former GCB are deemed to be employed by the GCB. It also caters for all assets, funds and resources and movable and immovable property held by the former Board that would now stand transferred to the GCB. So what compensation is Mr Bacchus talking about? The only compensation that must be given is to former West Indies fast bowler Reon King who was unceremoniously removed from his post as Cricket Development Officer.
3. The Bill provides for the books of the GCB to be audited and the report to be laid before the National Assembly within a month of the completion of the audit. Will this not provide for transparency, accountability and prudent management of the GCB’S financial resources, including monies given by the WICB? This is one of the grave areas that resulted in the intervention of the IMC and my involvement as an ECB representative at the time. The ECB under the previous leadership of Mr Asif Ahmad and Mr Prince Holder unanimously supported the stance taken to cleanse the GCB. The position was swiftly reversed after Mr Bacchus acceded to the presidency.
While I would wish to highlight several other critical clauses of the Bill that I believe will transform the Board beyond its present manipulation by one gentleman, space does not permit me to expand. As for the other questions relating to Linden, funding from the government, submission of recommendations from the DCB and the directorship (The Presidents of the BCA and TTCB are not Directors of the WICB) I am sure these will be answered by the Minister at the appropriate time.
It is sad to note that many of the emerging players from the Pomeroon River don’t even know who is President of the Pomeroon Cricket Committee since Mr Bacchus seldom visits the area or convenes meetings. I have never contested for an executive post in the history of ECB elections though I would have served in other capacities, including as a player, manager and coach. I am still committed to the development of cricket and sport in general in Essequibo since I have highlighted many of our challenges in several letters to the press. I hope that I can still make a positive contribution in or out of the ECB, even though Mr Bacchus sees me as a critic of the ECB and GCB, when in fact I am a supporter of good governance at all levels of cricket administration in Guyana. Ironically it is convenient governance that currently exists, since the GCB has lost its credibility through questionable elections and the isolation of two-thirds of its constituent members. I anticipate that litigation will further suffice for the right cause of restoring pride and dignity to cricket in Guyana. In the meantime I hope that Mr Bacchus’s vision will not continue to be impaired by the visionless and those who never held a bat, much less executed any stroke of conviction. I am therefore not surprised that Mr Bacchus who has a dual role as Vice President of the GCB and a Director of DEB Essentials, whatever that means, is dismissive of the Bill since he effectively wants to maintain the status quo. Will the players ever achieve their true potential under the present circumstances?
Yours faithfully,
Elroy Stephney
