Guyana Risk Ban From International Cricket

Guyana was plunged into chaos following newspapers reports on Sunday in that country that the Minister of Sport Dr. Frank Anthony had endorsed a faction of the conflicted Demerara Cricket Board. The Demerara Cricket Board, according to newspapers reports, has two factions at present contending they are the lawful Board charges with administering cricket in the county of Demerara. The Demerara Cricket Board Executive Committee under the direction of the Honourable Chief Justice Ian Chang met on Monday 17th January 2011 and fixed its Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Saturday 22nd January 2011 at the Wales Community Centre Ground. However, the incumbent Present Mr. Bissoondyal Singh fearing that he was going to loose that election and be voted out of office unilaterally decided to hold a separate meeting with parties favourable to him, on the same day, at the Lusignan Community Centre Ground. The result was that at the lawful AGM, Mr. Raj Singh was elected as the President of the Demerara Cricket Board. Mr. Bissoondyal defiantly contends that he is the elected President of the Demerara Cricket Board

The unlawful elections held by Mr. Bissoondyal was widely covered by the State media; whilst the Raj Singh election was not carried in the State media leading to speculation that there was political interference in the administration of cricket in Demerara. This was confirmed when it was made known in cricketing circles that the junior Minister in the Ministry of Housing Irfan Ali was threatening State and Government officials and employees that were on cricket boards nationwide that they had to support Bissoondyal to be President of Demerara Cricket Board and Guyana Cricket Board. This macabre act of political interference has on numerous occasions been confirmed by the candidate Bissoondyal himself where sources have confirmed that he is boasting that he has the support of Ministers of Government so the democratic election process is irrelevant to him. The interference of Ministers of Government was confirmed by Bissoondyal lawyer when he made the spectacular statement, carried in the Sunday edition Kaieteur Newspapers that the Minister of Sport had infact recognised Bissoondyal as the elected President of Demerara Cricket Board. This alarming level of political interference have raised concerns at the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) level, where a source who wishes to remain anonymous have said that if the level of political interference continues in Guyana's cricket there would be no alternative but to ban Guyana from participation in international cricket. The source continued that this would have adverse repercussions for the Guyanese players int he West Indies Team. Ronnie Sarwan and Shiv Chanderpaul may find themselves being unable to represent the West Indies until such a ban is lifted.

The WICB source was at pains to point out that such a ban would be catastrophic to cricket in Guyana and the region as a whole but the rules of the International Cricket Council and the WICB were clear that political interference in cricket in any level was unacceptable and that the democratic selection process of electing the cricket boards at the various levels of cricket in the territories had to be respected at all times.

The level of political interference in sport in the West Indies is strongly frowned upon and even in the several impasses with the West Indies players and the West Indies Cricket Board; no direct intervention was tolerated. The CARICOM Heads of State formed a Committee to try and mediate the issue; so the action by Guyana's Ministers of Government raises serious concerns in the region.

The failure of the Ministers of Government in Guyana to respect and adhere to the democratic process of voting to elect leaders is quite ironic since this is an election year in Guyana. 

It is hoped that Guyana cricket returns to the democratic process soon.