The Alliance For Change has called upon Attorney General Anil Nandlall to recuse himself from matters related to the cricket impasse here and the party also condemned what it said was the “state-sponsored harassment” of the members of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB).
The homes of several members of the GCB were searched for documents following an order by the court based on an application by Nandlall.
The President of the GCB Ramsay Ali has since resigned citing the stress he has been under as a result of the cricket imbroglio. As it relates to the recusal call, the AFC noted that prior to his ascension to the post of AG, Nandlall had represented one of the contending factions in the cricket dispute. The AFC said that it would appear that Nandlall is still prosecuting this case in his capacity as AG.
The AFC restated its view that there must be a new statutory regime in cricket here and new elections must be held to regularize the situation. It contended that the imposition of the Clive Lloyd-led Interim Management Committee would not solve the multitude of problems facing local cricket.
The AFC statement follows:
The Alliance For Change (AFC) condemns in the strongest possible terms, the recent state- sponsored harassment of members of the Guyana Cricket Board. Whilst the AFC supports and demands full transparency and accountability in all area of operations, it feels that the recent searches and attendant trauma and anxiety were uncalled for.
The AFC repeats that there must be a new statutory regime which must be fast-tracked; and, under which new elections be held to regularise a situation deemed irregular by the obiter dicta of a senior judge. To forcibly impose an IMC, led by the renowned Clive Lloyd, will not solve the myriad problems. To make a legal entity out of a legal nonentity requires lawmakers not cricketers.
It is rather ironic that this same legal nonentity which Clive Lloyd and his PPP sponsored IMC seeks to displace, produced the best years of our cricket and yes, even a Clive Lloyd!
Though this cricketing matter was raised by AFC’s Chairman at the tripartite talks with President Donald Ramotar, and there was a promise to move it forward by having the Attorney General cut and paste relevant legislation to suit our particular scenario, the AFC notice instead a diversion into terrorising GCB members into resignations through forced searches, of person and property, upon instructions of the learned Attorney General.
We are not unmindful of the fact that the learned Attorney General who is leading this assault was until recently the lawyer for one of the warring factions in this matter. It would appear that the learned Attorney General is continuing to prosecute his client’s case, whereas as the Minister of Justice, he should be seen to be operating even-handedly.
We therefore call on the Attorney General to immediately recuse himself from this matter, failing which His Excellency the President should demand his resignation. This cricketing debacle has already led to massive loss of revenues as a result of the Guyana leg of the Australia tour being called off. Our hospitality industry has been delivered an uppercut, with a major contract for Pegasus Hotel being cancelled. Other hotels, restaurants, taxi services and hospitality services have been dented financially. Our cricketing public has been crushed, too. It will not see live Test Cricket. And disastrously now, since the grant of an injunction, it means our Guyana team cannot participate further in this year’s Regional Tournament.