Letter to the Sports Editor ...Is Mr. Clifford Reis satisfied with the state of affairs in WI and Guyana Cricket?

Letter to the Sports Editor …Is Mr. Clifford Reis satisfied with the state of affairs in WI and Guyana Cricket?

Apr 24, 2016 Sports

Dear Editor,
In recent years both the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) have been placed under the microscope in relation to good governance, accountability and order in cricket within their respective constituencies. It is quite evident that there is complicity on the part of the WICB to keep the GCB in place for their narrow and self-servicing reasons especially as it relates to votes for the Dave Cameron – led Committee.
There is a rising chorus of criticism and even outright condemnation by a wide cross-section of Caribbean luminaries at the high-handed manner in which WI cricket is being run. In Guyana, where there have been no elections for six (6) years, the untenable situation has also been met with mounting criticism from a plethora of persons and organizations within the country. It is therefore of concern as to why someone of the stature of Guyana business magnate, Mr. Clifford Reis would remain deafeningly silent on the turbulent affairs in WI and Guyana Cricket.
I remember well that Mr. Reis was present at the Guyana leg of the so-called 2015 WICB Town Hall Meetings. The Regional Board was represented by Mr. Dave Cameron, Mr. Emmanuel Nathan and Mr. Anand Sanassie. I sat there unobtrusively and during the two (2) hours of that meeting, Mr. Reis would have heard the number of stinging complaints against the GCB and the injustices meted out to the local cricket fraternity by that Board. These included:
1. Illegal elections of the GCB.
2. Lack of accountability – financial reports are no longer prepared and circulated by the GCB.
3. The deliberate discrimination in the distribution of cricket gear among club/associations.
4. The formation of a private company (Guyana Cricket Inc.) by fourteen (14) individuals who now solely own every cricket asset in Guyana including all bank accounts.
5. A complaint that the Berbice Cricket Board has not received a single cent in cricket subvention from the GCB for over five (5) years.
6. The burning with acid of the Assistant Treasurer of the GCB.
7. Letters issued by the GCB to allow persons who never represented Guyana to obtain visas which went against normal procedure.
8. Banks DIH using the brand PREMIUM BEER to sponsor a T20 competition through a group of persons calling themselves East Coast Cricket Committee that was hastily and illegally put together by a professed GCB executive and a director of the WICB. It was explained that this was done to frustrate and undermine the lawful and legitimate East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) which is in existence for over 30 years and the only Organization authorized to run cricket on the East Coast of Demerara as per the Guyana Cricket Administration Act.
These phaulius bogus maneuvers are recondite attempts to fob off this illegal group as the authentic body to vote at the Demerara Cricket Board elections ingenuously aided by Banks DIH. This unapproved cricket and the illegal committee fiasco was boisterously raised by the ECCB Vice-President Mr. Raymond Barton at the so-called WICB Town-Hall meeting and Mr. Cameron, obviously realizing that this was a plot to keep his colleagues at the GCB in power, went mute.
No one at that meeting spoke in favour of the GCB and there was even a picketing exercise against that Board. Mr. Dave Cameron tempestuously refused a request to investigate the complaints. Mr. Clifford Reis, the Chairman of Banks DIH Limited, heard them all and remained silent throughout.
I believe that anyone who holds any game close to his heart and has such a position would at least speak out and question the alleged transgressions of the administration in the interest of the game and particularly for the benefit of the youths.
I would be happy to have Mr. Reis explain why he continues to sit on the WICB and support the committee of the GCB without even so much as a murmur especially as there are dark clouds hanging ominously over these two (2) Boards.
When the crisis in the administration of West Indies and Guyana Cricket is fully ventilated, Mr. Clifford Reis may very well find his name among those identified as contributing to the demise of cricket in Guyana and the West Indies. The deafening silence by Mr. Reis must be seen as an apparent resolute support for these notorious scandals mentioned above and for what reason? Is it worth it Mr. Clifford Reis?
Dr. Lawarence Ried, MD-PhD

Latest News

Letter to the Sports Editor …Is Mr. Clifford Reis satisfied with the state of affairs in WI and Guyana Cricket?

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 27th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Anderson ton, Looknauth’s 9 seals dominant 10-wicket win for Harpy...

Romaine Brackenridge joins Slingerz FC from...

Mashramani Street Football Championship kicks off...

Savory falls for 99, joins the heartbreaking...

Martin Massiah elected president of Fruta...

CANOC Executive Committee members visits...

Features/Columnists

A wave of criminal deportees may be coming our way soon

OAS Secretary General Election and renewed OAS Consensus

Renegotiation – one big Guyana laff story

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]

Letter to the Sports Editor …Is Mr. Clifford Reis satisfied with the state of affairs in WI and Guyana Cricket?

Share this:

Related

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 27th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]