ICC: Governments have right to intervene

Dec 19, 2015 Sports

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Says Dr. Rudi V. Webster 
The Five-Person CARICOM Report on the structure and governance of the West Indies Cricket Board

(WICB) has been out for just over a month and has received almost universal acclaim and support from the Caribbean public. The people are fed up with the governance and performance of the WICB and are in a state of despair and depression, unable to see a better future, or to do anything to change the present situation. They know that the Board will not reform itself.  After all, it has been down this path before with previous reports – the Patterson and Wilkin reports – and has retained the status quo.
Sadly, most of our people have given up on West Indies cricket. Those who have not are now turning to elected representatives, CARICOM Prime Ministers, and are imploring them to implement the recommendations of that report. Anything less would be a terrible disappointment.
Not everyone agrees with the report.  This is to be expected.  We see things not as they are but as we are.   So Members of the Board, insiders, and some outsiders will have a different view of the situation. They feel that the WICB is being unfairly targeted and that politicians are interfering in the affairs of the Board. “Politics should not enter sport,” they say.  They strongly believe that in the end the ICC will resist these recommendations and intervene on behalf of the Board.
A long held WICB belief and attitude towards CARICOM Prime Ministers is revealed in the Trinidad Guardian newspaper of November 6, 2014 in an article entitled, “WICB director: CARICOM is all talk: the ICC will save West Indies.” In the article, one prominent director, who spoke anonymously, did not hide his skepticism about what the CARICOM leadership brings to the table.
The ICC can intervene in the present crisis but Members of the Board might discover that the odds are not exactly in their favour.
On the subject of government intervention and interference, the ICC Governance Review Committee says the following: “Naturally, a government (or any office thereof) would also not be prevented from investigating the affairs of the Member Board in order to ascertain whether any criminal offence has been committed, including fraud, dereliction of director’s duties (including fiduciary duties) or contravention of any relevant legislation.  Similarly, there may be circumstances where a government (or any ministry thereof) rightfully seeks to intervene in the event that a Member Board is dysfunctional. The ICC governance Review Committee believes that this is a question of accountability, not interference.”
Clearly, the Board has been disgustingly dysfunctional for many years. And, every year that dysfunction gets worse. Just a few days ago in Sydney Australia, Brian Lara one of our greatest batsmen was asked why West Indies cricket had taken a nosedive. His answer, “Bad governance of the WICB.”
The governments of the region have every right to intervene and investigate the structure, governance and gross dysfunction of the WICB. Moreover, they should press for detailed forensic audits to examine and eliminate any of the other factors mentioned above in the ICC Governance Review Committee statement; factors that might be obstacles to the Board’s accountability, transparency, efficient function and honest governance.
Change is often very difficult to implement. The persons recommending the change can easily see its rewards and benefits, but the people who have to accept and implement the change might not see these things because the change might conflict with their power, status and aspirations. But in times of crisis, the common good must always take precedence over personal power and personal agendas.
There are two fundamental truths that we, including Board Members should all remember. The first: people who take their organization into serious trouble are usually the least qualified to take it out of that trouble.  Other people usually have to be brought in to make that transformation.
And second: the meaning of any situation depends on the way we look at the situation. So if we change our perspective of the situation we will automatically change its meaning, and with that our thoughts, decisions and actions.
Let’s hope that at its next meeting in St. Lucia in a couple of days that Board members learn to see things from different points of view – the public, players, coaches, regional boards, international boards, governments, sponsors and press.  It will then be easier for them to resolve the present crisis and make the right decisions for the good of West Indies cricket.
Finally, it is worth repeating to the WICB the views of the ICC Governance Review Committee: “Similarly, there may be circumstances where a government (or any ministry thereof) rightfully seeks to intervene in the event that a Member Board is dysfunctional. The ICC governance Review Committee believes that this is a question of accountability, not interference.”

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