Caribbean & Central America - June 2014 (ISSN 1741-4458)

Guyana has amongst the most tempestuous politics in the Caribbean, with animosity between the political parties fuelled by the split of the population between those of East Indian origin (43%), who mostly vote for the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), and those of African origin (30%), who mostly vote for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). However in the row between Guyana and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), which has seen Guyana stripped of the third test match between the West Indies and New Zealand, unusually APNU has supported the PPP/C government.

The row with the WICB, over Guyana’s Cricket Administration Bill, has been brewing since at least 2011 when the bill was first mooted. The WICB says it cannot support the dissolution of the existing Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) or the involvement of the Guyanese government in the administration of the game. The government, on the other hand, says it is seeking to regularize the constitutions of Guyana’s various national and county cricket bodies, end illegal elections and financial improprieties, and “engender order, transparency, and accountability”.

No one can say that the bill has been hastily pushed through parliament. It was first tabled in December 2011 and then deferred for consideration by the National Assembly three times. Over this time, several amendments have been made to the original bill, partly in response to criticisms from the WICB. One of these includes the appointment of an independent cricket ombudsman, which the government says should satisfy the WICB’s objection to direct government involvement in the administration of the sport.

But neither Guyana’s unusual political unity nor the lengthy period for consultation has persuaded the WICB to support the bill. On 2 June, the WICB issued a press statement saying that it had not been able to find “a mutually agreeable resolution” to the dispute. It added: “The WICB sought an undertaking from His Excellency President [Donald] Ramotar that the bill not be signed into law until these matters are resolved…Regrettably the WICB has not received such an undertaking…[and] as a consequence the WICB is left with no option but to relocate the Third Test between the West Indies and New Zealand from Guyana.”

The government has been unmoved by this removal of the test match, sticking to its line that the bill is necessary to bring order and transparency to the administration of cricket in Guyana, and reiterating through Minister of Sport Dr Frank Anthony that “the bill does not, in any way whatsoever, allow or permit, directly or indirectly, government’s involvement in the administration of cricket in Guyana” except for a single instance “where the minister is ascribed a function when the act comes into operation”.

Underlining the wide support within Guyana for the bill, the (Afro-Caribbean) Guyanese cricket legend Clive Lloyd added his assenting voice on 6 June, saying: “I welcome the Cricket Administration Bill which was recently passed by the National Assembly. I took note that it passed with the support of both the government and the main opposition party.”

The wider implications of the row were highlighted by President Ramotar, who said that Caribbean integration was threatened by the move. He said that cricket has historically played a key role in uniting the people of the Caribbean and that “what is happening here is a slap against the whole integration movement”.