Select suitable, capable and efficient officers

Mar 25, 2010 Sports

---

Says Chairman of National Cricket selectors

Chairman of the National Cricket selection panel Claude Raphael says he wants to clarify what he describes as ‘skewed presentations’ made in articles in two Guyanese daily newspapers.
“I refer to recent articles published in the Guyana Chronicle of Monday 15th March, 2010, and the Guyana Times of Tuesday 16th March, 2010, dealing with alleged problems encountered at a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Guyana Cricket Board held on Friday 12th March, 2010,” Raphael said in a letter to the media.
Raphael, a senior selector for nearly two decades, explained that the meeting was properly summoned and that Mr. Fizul Bacchus called the meeting to order at the about 17:05hrs.
Raphael said, when Mr. Bacchus called the meeting to order, Mr. Bissoondyal Singh Vice-President, Mr. Anand Sanasie Honorary Secretary, Sheik Ahmad Treasurer, Mr. Pretipaul Jaigobin Assistant Treasurer, Mr. Ronald Williams Assistant Secretary, Mr. Michael Hyles Franco, Chairman Junior Selection Panel, himself, Mr. Carl Moore Chairman Competitions Committee, also Mrs. Savitri Persaud administrator and Mr. Rayon King Cricket Development Officer were all in attendance.
“I immediately told Mr. Fizul Bacchus that I was challenging the fact that he was performing the function of Chairman of the meeting. I further informed Mr. Bacchus that the basis of my challenge was that the Executive Committee did not appoint him to deputise for the President. Mr. Fizul Bacchus then referred to a letter of appointment purporting to come from Mr. Chetram Singh (President). The letter he was referring to was in fact an e-mail that was purported to have been sent by from Mr. Singh from the Guyana Cricket Board’s email address – gcb@solutions2000.net at 11.25hrs on Thursday 28th February. In fact Mr. Singh departed Guyana at approximately 5.00 am on the same day.
Raphael said he explained to Mr. Bacchus that the constitution of the Guyana Cricket Board did not provide for Mr. Chetram Singh to appoint anyone to deputise for him.
“Mr. Sanasie then started to brandish a set of papers saying that he differed in opinion as the constitution specifically provided that the Vice President with responsibility for administration shall deputise for the president. Mr Jaigobin then produced a folder which contained a constitution that Mr. Sanasie had circulated to all members of the Executive Committee when he assumed office in January 2009. Mr. Jaigobin pointed out to Mr. Sanasie that the document that he was asserting to be the constitution of the Guyana Cricket Board differed from the one that he had circulated to members of the Executive Committee,” Raphael added.
He informed that an argument ensued as to which document was the correct constitution. “Mr. Bacchus got up, kicked his chair backwards saying “y’all take the chair if you want it” and immediately left the meeting closely followed by Mr. Ahmad and Mr. Sanasie.
Soon after the trio departed Mr. Terry Holder, Public Relations Officer arrived and after listening to the unfortunate sequence of events suggested that since the meeting had already been called to order and we still had a quorum that we continue the Business of the Board,” the selector said.
“To my mind all my challenge required was “a sitting down” of the members of the Executive Committee and a discussion as to which Vice President should act as President. I was and am still prepared to accept this as the way forward.
As to Mr. Bacchus functioning well since he was on the job, nothing is further from the truth. He never called a Tour Committee Meeting prior to the start or during the Zimbabwe Tour and was it not for the initiative of the other Vice-President Mr. Bissoondyal Singh we would have been in shambles. Mr. Bacchus is at a lost as to the GCB’s operations,” Raphael opined.
The former first division cricketer said he advised Mr. Bacchus to schedule a meeting of the Tour Committee on Saturday 27th February and he refused saying that it was his (Muslim) Holiday but that he would have the meeting on Monday 1st March at 11.00 am. “Imagine calling a meeting when the teams and Officials were schedule to begin arriving in Guyana at 8.00 am on the 1st March, 2010 and arrangements had to be made to accommodate them. To date he has not scheduled a tour review meeting nor a debriefing of the male senior team. At the last Annual General Meeting of the Board the membership mandated the Executive Committee to address the unacceptable position where Mr. Bacchus functions as a Vice-President of the Board and also as a member of the junior panel of selectors.
How then could we aggravate the situation by making him acting President while he still remains a member of the Junior Panel of Selectors?, Raphael asked.
Raphael said he found it extremely strange, that the newspapers would publish ‘this fairy tale’ from the Essequibo Board without checking the facts.
“I was at my Office all day Monday from 8.00am until 8.00pm and my cell phone number is well known by members of the media. The minute-taker, Assistant Secretary, Mr. Ronald Williams could have also been contacted,” Raphael reasoned.
“From the time that Mr. Bacchus called the meeting to order up to the time that himself, Mr. Ahmad and Mr, Sanasie walked out of the meeting there wasn’t any semblance of violence or any need for fear as the Guyana Times reported.
It is important to note that no one else left the meeting and the Guyana Chronicle never reported this falsehood,” Raphael stated.
“In my view the meeting was a properly held Executive Committee Meeting and the furore created by the “trio” was to prevent the questions on irregularities, and financial improprieties which are excessive and which we feel requires a forensic audit of the Boards’ operations,” he opined.
Raphael feels the GCB has been taken over by a group of power hungry, position seekers who have no care or concern for the cricket.
“I wish to add my support to some of the sentiments expressed by Mr. Neil Kumar in the Sunday Chronicle of March 21, 2010.
It is my view that we must select suitable, capable and efficient officers to represent us at any level including the WICB Level,” Raphael said. (Sean Devers)

---

---