Barbados Today

GEORGETOWN – The Guyana government has condemned the West Indies Cricket Board for sending two directors to witness recent general elections of the Guyana Cricket Board.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Roger Luncheon, has accused the WICB of disregarding the ruling of the high court which had issued an injunction stopping the elections from taking place. Dr. Luncheon’s comments represent the latest development in a lingering conflict stemming from disputed elections in 2011, the dissolution of the GCB and WICB’s refusal to recognise the interim management committee set up by government to replace the GCB.

”Equally condemned, was the continuing permissive and objectionable role of the West Indies Cricket Board in their defence of the discredited GCB executives and implicitly joining them in defiance of the Court ruling,” Dr. Luncheon said.

Two WICB officials witnessed the elections that adopted a new constitution and appointed Dru Bahadur as the new president. One of the directors, Barbadian Conde’ Riley was quoted in the Kaieteur

news as saying he was satisfied with the process. However, Dr. Luncheon noted that the WICB was aware of the legal issues surrounding the GCB when it sent representatives to observe the poll “and proceeded to anoint the new office bearers”.

“Cabinet deplored these negative developments,” he was quoted by the Government Information Agency (GINA) as saying after a cabinet meeting reviewing the status and recent developments in Guyana’s cricket.

The Cabinet Secretary also accused organisers of last month’s GCB election of having a “dismissive attitude”, while announcing that Contempt of Court proceedings have begun against those who defied the injunction.

Last month, two former Guyana and West Indies cricketers, Clive Lloyd and Roger Harper, blasted the elections as “illegal” and took a swipe at the WICB for sending officials.

A cricket bill, tabled in the National Assembly last December by Sports Minister Dr. Frank Anthony, is seeking to address governance issues in cricket administration.

“I would like to see the WICB ignore now, not only the court rulings, but enlarge their culture of disrespect to Guyana by ignoring also, or encouraging to be ignored, the laws of Guyana,” Dr. Luncheon said.

Earlier, in a move aimed at reversing a ban on regional and international cricket in Guyana, the WICB said it was pleased with the progress being made to resolve the conflict and announced that first class and international matches have been tentatively set for later this year. (CMC)