Letter to the EditorMajority Cricket Stakeholders respond to Minister NortonRequest President Granger’s intervention

Apr 11, 2019 Sports

---

 

Dear Sports Editor,

Minister George Norton’s comments in the Stabroek News dated 8th April, 2019 are cause for concern as they tend to confuse rather than resolve the ongoing cricket crisis.
A recent High Court ruling has deemed the Executives of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) illegal, null, void and of no legal effect justifying the stated position of the Majority of Stakeholders of Guyana Cricket over the past eight (8) years, principally because there were no constitutional elections of the GCB during that time. Minister Norton’s assertion that the “national impact this ruling has on the sport leaves the door open for uncertainty” is therefore alarming. We resent the Hon. Minister’s reference to us as ‘those calling themselves cricket stakeholders’ since we have made it clear on several occasions, and it is worth repeating, that the Majority Stakeholders of Guyana Cricket comprise the Berbice Cricket Board, the East Coast Cricket Board, the Georgetown Cricket Association and the Upper Demerara Cricket Association.
These Associations / Boards collectively constitute the major strength of Guyana’s Cricket Administration /structure. A check of the male and female players at all levels would reveal that, with a small exception, they come from these areas as reflected in our national teams over the past fifteen (15) years. Sadly however, these areas have been deliberately excluded from the mainstream of Guyana Cricket administration and have also been denied subventions or any form of assistance from the GCB. It is pertinent to note that that the Cricket Executives of these areas have all been democratically elected to office unlike the illegal executives of the GCB who Minister Norton appears to be so passionately supporting.
Minister Norton’s comment that the extremely talented Keemo Paul and Shimron Hetmyer have ‘put Guyana on the map’ clearly indicates that the Minister is out of touch with reality for Guyana has been on the ‘cricket map’ for well over three-quarters of a century. It may be of interest to the Minister that these two (2) youngsters are products of Georgetown and Berbice. Like Ramnaresh Sarwan, Keemo Paul is Essequibo-born but has played and developed his cricket within the Georgetown Cricket Association.
Minister Norton is respectfully reminded of the following:
1. It was Anand Sanasie and the illegal Executives of the GCB which filed an injunction preventing Dr. Winston Mc Gowan from officiating as the Cricket Ombudsman whilst challenging the Guyana Cricket Administration Act 2014, a case which languished in the court for years while the illegal executives occupied the GCB conveniently and self-servingly.
2. It was the Anand Sanasie-led GCB which urged the Parliamentary Cricket Sub-Committee to exclude the entire Upper Demerara (including Linden) from the Guyana Cricket Administration Act.
3. That Minister Norton’s assertion that Stephen Lewis is a lawyer and has integrity is not a point in question. What is the critical point is that the Ombudsman must be independent and impartial reflective of a Supreme Court Judge.
4. Minister Norton publicly stated in the Guyana Chronicle of 16th May, 2018 that the present GCB is illegal and further opined that “the life of the present members of the GCB had long expired”. He also said, “As far as the Guyana Cricket Administration Act 2014 is concerned, we don’t have a GCB because that first election never took place and that the first election was to create a Guyana Cricket Board, so this Guyana Cricket Board (the Anand Sanasie Cricket Board) is illegal, because they were appointed for a certain time and that time has passed by years”.
5. In September 2018 Minister Norton’s Department of Sport had filed a sworn affidavit (2018-HC-DEM-CIV-FDA-808) in the High Court declaring among other things that the GCB executives were illegal, that they had hijacked the Board and that the Court has the power to terminate the appointment of Mr. Stephen Lewis as Cricket Ombudsman.
6. It came as an utter surprise to the cricketing public when in December 2018 Minister Norton along with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo attended the GCB Award Ceremony despite the facts as presented in that affidavit ostensibly giving unwarranted credibility to the illegal GCB regime.
In view of the foregoing we, the Majority of Stakeholders of Guyana Cricket, urge the Hon. Minister George Norton to allow the court to play its part in bringing resolution to the shambolic state in which Guyana’s cricket has fallen.
President David Granger and the Government of Guyana have seen it necessary to create a Ministry to bring cohesion to the people of Guyana and have placed much emphasis on sport as a vehicle to enhance that cohesion. Minister Norton’s current posturing is therefore of great concern, given that cricket is our number one sport and plays an important part in this regard.The Hon. Minister seems to be incapable of discharging the functions and duties of his designated portfolio resulting in the continuation of the divisiveness and chaos that have plagued the administration of cricket in Guyana.
As the subject Minister, the Hon. George Norton must approach the cricket crisis in an impartial manner, failing which he could be accused of once again bringing embarrassment to our Government.
We respectfully call on His Excellency, President David Granger to intervene by having the appointment of Stephen Lewis as Cricket Ombudsmen rescinded and also to ensure that decency, order, accountability and legitimacy are once again the pillars upon which of our beloved national game can be supported.
Malcolm Peters
Former Vice-President of the Guyana Cricket Board
Former President of Berbice Cricket Board
Former Chairman of the Cricket Development Committee of the GCB
For and Behalf of the Majority of Stakeholders of Guyana’s Cricket

---

---