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Horseracing fraternity’s legislation can help Sport’s proper administration
By: Samuel Whyte
Kaieteur Sports – As I take another swipe at the horse racing fiasco engulfing the nation at the moment, it is the hope of all that the passage of the long-awaited Legislation will be done soon.
Being privy to see a copy of the Drafted Legislation presented to the government and a copy of the Rules of Racing, I will continue to have my say.
A well-draught copy was compiled decades ago and presented to the Minister of Sport for the necessary action.
That document was draught by imminent legal minds who were also stalwarts in the horse racing industry. It was spearheaded by the late Senior Counsel and Horse Racing stalwart, Marcel Crawford.
There were also inputs from other horse race stalwarts including the late former Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice, Cecil Kennard, and the late Insanally Habibulla, among others.
Digicel Guyana Inc., was once a supporter of the Guyana Horse Racing Fraternity.
When will the legislation be enacted is anyone’s guess. The passage of the legislation should see a legal Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA) being put in place to oversee the proper conduct of the sport.
That drafted document which has aspects of racing from other countries charts the way forward.
Like who could/should be in charge of the game by a Democratic Process. It also addresses all stakeholders’ interests.
In those documents, there is something for everyone. Some things that the drafted legislation speaks about include clean racing without the use of banners, drug use, stud books, illegal betting and infighting etc. There is also consideration such as the number of weeks before opposing clubs could hold races.
The GHRA when enacted should not be about race track owners and administrators but should encompass horse owners, Trainers, Jockeys, Grooms and even spectators.
According to some parts of the legislation, persons involved in the sport should not be a part of the authority. Yet one cannot understand why people are placing themselves into conflict-of-interest positions.
Several imminent persons can help and are willing to administer the sport. Many of them are successful businessmen and were involved in the sport in one way or the other.
Among them are Attorney at Law and Senior Council, Rajendra Poonai, Vic Oudit, Roy Hanoman and Bish Panday, among others.
Despite words of assurance over the years from the various ministers that efforts are being made to pass the necessary legislation, many disagree, given the time since the first draft was presented.
One is forced to ask if the relevant authorities are playing politics with such an important activity.
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