New GCB elections likely by month-end

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Amidst the controversy surrounding the administration of cricket over the past few years, elections to name a new executive to manage the business of the Guyana Cricket Board could be held by month-end, according to Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) on cricket, Clive Lloyd.

Lloyd in an exclusive interview with this publication on Tuesday said that the holding of new elections will depend on the outcome of the final stakeholders’ discussion which is expected to be held on September 13.
“We had some minor adjustments to the new constitution during our discussions on July 11; we have sent those adjustments to the committee for them to be rectified so when we meet again next Thursday we will see what will be the outcome, once everybody agrees, the new constitution will be forwarded to the relevant authorities in order for the completion of the necessary legislative framework so election can be held,” Lloyd said.
The dissolved GCB was, over the past two years, operating with two separate constitutions which had created dissention in the fragmented Board. Further, at last year’s controversial GCB Annual General Meeting (AGM) the Constitution, which was not registered under the Friendly Societies Act, was used by one faction of the GCB to hold elections, which saw only the Essequibo Board and one member of the Berbice Board voting.
The tabling of the new Constitution is aimed at facilitating the hosting of free and fair elections, while also allowing the board to operate in a more transparent manner.
Meanwhile, when asked if the current Demerara Cricket Board crises could affect the staging of new elections, Lloyd said “I don’t think so because the constitution states that once two boards participated in the elections there shouldn’t be any problem.”
However, the IMC Chairman said while he would really like to have the Demerara Board involved in the new elections, he has no authority over the board’s court injunction. Both the Raj Singh and Bissoondyal Singh factions were barred from performing duties of the DCB after several appearances before Justice James Bovell Drakes. The ongoing saga began in May 2010 when three of the four DCB area Associations filed a no-confidence motion against the then DCB President Bissoondyal Singh.