Questionable Sports Awards to GCB and Sanasie

Jun 27, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor;  
It is my firm opinion that awards of any sort must be based on established criteria that involve legitimacy, performance and transparency.  Awardees must be selected on the basis of merit.
After reading the recent National Sports Council “Sports Awards” and listening to Director of Sports, Christopher Jones’ televised interview with Edwin Seeraj on the Sports Magazine Programme of Friday 10th June, 2016, I am of the view that the award process should be totally revamped.  With specific regard to the awarding of the GCB as the Sports Organization of the Year and Anand Sanasie as the Sports Administrator of the Year, I humbly suggest that these awards be recalled for the following reasons:
1. It is public knowledge that there have been no free and fair elections of the GCB for the past seven (7) years, a clear violation of the tenets of democracy. The last time the GCB had free and fair elections was in 2009.
2. The GCB has not laid over the audited financial statement and other documents to the National Assembly and to the very National Sports Council as stipulated in The Cricket Administration Act 2014 (clause 14 (3) and clause 15).  Other clauses of the Act are also continually being violated by the current GCB executives.
3. Some members of the GCB together with a few other individuals questionably formed a company and named it “The Guyana Cricket Inc.”  All the assets of the GCB including the various bank accounts and properties were then transferred to this company and ipso facto all the assets of Guyana cricket now belong to only those individuals.
4. The GCB has not been making any attempt to have the ongoing divide within Guyana cricket resolved but rather are the proponents of the continuation of that divide with their frivolous challenge to the “Act” and engaging in a plethora of injunctions that prevent the democratic process of free and fair elections.
5. The GCB’s practice (in the absence of free and fair elections) of selecting certain officials and the discriminatory manner used when distributing gear and other resources are further examples of the prevailing lawlessness.   The exclusion of the Berbice Cricket Board, the Georgetown Cricket Association and the East Coast Cricket Board from any deliberation or discussions or activity designed to unite the GCB appears to be deliberate.  It is even more appalling to note that these areas which produce all the national cricketers at all levels from their own resources have not received a single cent from the GCB for the past seven (7) years.  This is a clear case of administrative lawlessness which is undeserving of any award especially a national award.
6. As an experienced sports administrator I have never seen a sports association constitution, including the one enshrined in the Cricket Administration Act 2014, that identifies the Secretary as the head.  Even within the many constitutions of the GCB, I am positive that the head is always the President and not the Secretary.
On the TV programme (as mentioned above) Director of Sports, Christopher Jones, in attempting to justify the awards, stated that cricket has done well over the past two (2) years and Sanasie as head of the Board was therefore awarded.  I would like to challenge the NSC to produce the records that show Secretary, Anand Sanasie as the head of the GCB.  The structure of the GCB historically has the President as the head and the two (2) Vice- Presidents sharing the Cricket Development and the Cricket Administration portfolios.  In the present chaotic administrative environment of the Board any consideration to reward the cricket should have been given to the cricketers, or the Technical Officials (Coaches, Selectors etc) for their excellent performance on the field despite the administrative woes.
Further, Director of Sports, Christopher Jones contended that he had no idea of who had won and  which organization had copped awards prior to his appearance on the stage at the 2015 Awards Ceremony.  This is quite surprising as the awardees were informed accordingly, so why not the Director of Sports?
Indeed our cricketers have done us proud with their performances over the past two years and must be complimented for their accomplishments. However, a careful assessment should have been made by the NSC officials to ascertain who the personalities responsible for these successes are.  The officials should ascertain why there have not been any Female Domestic Tournament so as to offer opportunities for more ladies to be selected to the West Indies Team (the present two have been representing WI since 2007).  Also, why have we not been having our players who are doing so well at the national level secure places on the WI teams?
To proceed with these particular awards would be to send the wrong message to organisations that they could be rewarded for illegality, discrimination, lack of free and fair elections, lack of accountability, violation of the laws and rules of society especially divisiveness which contradicts Government’s stated National Policy of unity and cohesiveness among  our people.
This will undoubtedly create a serious precedent that this government cannot, ought not, and must not embrace.  The honourable and proper thing to do is to immediately recall the awards glibly handed out to the GCB and to Sanasie.
Claude Raphael
Former Executive Member – GCB
Former Director – WICB

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