Former AG relieved efforts being made to bring Cricket Administration Act into operation

Former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, said he is relieved to see efforts being made by the current government to bring the Guyana Cricket Administration Act into operation.

A statement by Nandlall, posted on his Facebook page, came a day after it was reported that the current Attorney General, Basil Williams, had quashed the injunction by the Guyana Cricket Board against the Cricket Administration Act, paving the way for elections.

Below is the full statement by Nandlall. 

“It is with great relief that I see that the Coalition Government has finally signalled an intention to bring the Guyana Cricket Administration Act into operation. Hopefully, this will result in early elections being held at the level of the Associations, Counties and eventually at the National level.

This Act is a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government legislation, passed during the Tenth Parliament. Its main objectives are to bring statutory regularity, good governance and financial accountability and transparency to the administration of cricket in Guyana. It also brings Region 10 into the administrative structure of Guyanese cricket in a form which never existed before.

For our intervention in cricket in Guyana, we were severely criticised by those who wanted the anarchical status quo to continue. We were wrongly accused of interference and wanting to control cricket. But all we wanted was accountable and fair administration.

Currently, many Heads of State in the Region are lamenting the lack of accountability at the level of the West Indies Cricket Board to the Governments and people of the region. Well, it is the PPP/C Government who first broke the ice on this matter five years ago. We made it an agenda item at Caricom Heads of Government meetings.

I was privileged to be part of that initiative. It did not yield much result. The region is now reaping the disastrous consequences of the lack of foresight of their leaders. West Indies cricket is now at its lowest ebb.

The Guyana legislation is revolutionary. I have no doubt that it would be emulated in the Region. There is no alternative.”