Letter to the Sports Editor…SOMWARU RESPONDS TO MORTIMER GEORGE

Mar 18, 2017 Sports

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Dear Editor,
Allow me to respond to the two articles written by Mr. Mortimer George which were published on February 28th, 2017 in the Kaieteur News, Stabroek and Guyana Chronicle, and then in Kaieteur News on 1 March, 2017 and in the Guyana Chronicle on 16 March, 2017.
In these articles, it appears that Mr. Mortimer George either made valiant efforts to highlight issues that were more pertinent to his apparent aims of upholding the favorable image of particular members of the Berbice Cricket Board, namely Angela Haniff and company, or he has been out of touch with the realities of the existing circumstances and situations pertaining to the BCB, Angela Haniff and fellow colleagues.
Surely, one would expect Mr. George to be cognizant of principle, ethical guidelines and legal implications surrounding matters of interest to the Berbice Cricket Board, and Angela Haniff.
It is hoped that Mr. Mortimer George, would be aware that the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) is a corporate body, established under the Guyana Cricket Administration Act No. 14 of 2014; that the BCB held its last Annual General Meeting (AGM) in December, 2014. This means that for almost three years, there has been no further AGM of the BCB, since this was last held in December, 2014. Further, he should be cognizant that the BCB rented an office space for decades, going way back to the days of Mr. Leslie Amsterdam. This fact becomes important, since on whose authority does the secretary has to transfer BCB assets.
On this basis, it must be acknowledged that Ms. Angela Haniff was elected as secretary at the said 2014 AGM, and had rightfully assumed her position. However, individuals are not likely to concur that authority would be invested in the secretary of the BCB, to transfer previous BCB assets into her own name. One is likely to find such a conjecture disheartening- that a land telephone formerly assigned to the BCB would be apparently unilaterally transferred to and in the name of Angela Haniff.
So discouraging is such a conceptualization that when one considers that the BCB was paying for all telephone bills, that the BCB was ill informed of such a transfer, that payments were allowed to be continually made on such a transferred telephone bill, one is left to perceive the action of transfer to be highly deceptive, thoroughly unfair, full of trickery and extremely discouraging.
Further, it is even more demoralizing and depressing when one recognizes that the lease for the BCB has been apparently unilaterally transferred to Ms. Angela Haniff. At some stage, one must ask themselves whether, Angela Haniff and the Berbice Board are one and the same? Certainly not!
Are other executives aware of these actions? I am not.
However, Ms. Angela Haniff continues to seemingly act in ways that questions her authority to function legitimately, ethically and transparently – “for on what basis could Angela Haniff refuse direct instructions from the vice president of the BCB to prepare an asset register and to hand over asset to the BCB?
On what basis or by what authority does Ms. Angela Haniff have the audacity to conduct her personal business from the office space of the BCB?
Certainly, by seemingly allowing the BCB to pay for Office space and the operations of her personal business, which is conducted on a lease that was transferred without the consent of the BCB executives and its members, must be deemed highly immoral and demoralizing; above it all, it is saddening to know that Ms. Angela Haniff has apparently refused to release documents belonging to the BCB, regardless of authority personnel requesting of her to do so. Angela Haniff and her collaborates must not be allowed to autonomously act in self-centred manners, especially when there is an established structure of the Berbice Cricket Board (BCB). The disorderliness should Stop; Stop it must!
I would like to make it clear that my objective for Berbice cricket is to produce cricketers not to become popular or use the BCB as a charity to enrich myself.
Mr. Mortimer George, the BCB, as per its constitution appended to the Cricket Administration Bill consists of member clubs and associations. It does not provide for individuals to be members and certainly not for life so stop masquerading.
It also reminds me that the last two presidents failed to read the bill since their clubs are not members of the BCB, what an oversight. I look forward to correcting this situation at my first meeting. Mr. George you need to read the entire Cricket Administration Act, not parts of it.
We are in the process of conducting financial and asset audit so more may be discovered. I am already aware that the BCB is broke since the GCB was approached to pay for the audit.
Mr. George, you and your cohorts can continue to write letters, we will run the cricket for the benefit of the kids in Berbice.
Yours Sincerely,
Dhieranidranauth Somwaru
1st Vice President BCB (Elected)
President (ag) BCB
President- Guyana Umpires’ Council
Headmaster- Berbice Islamic School.

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