Injunction quashed! …‘The way is now clear for us to have elections’ – Claude Raphael

Jul 27, 2017 Sports, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....ions-claude-raphael/

By Sean Devers
Two days after the Guyana Cricket Stakeholders staged a peaceful protest against the Government of Guyana outside the Office of Attorney General Basil Williams to highlight Government’s apparent reluctance to address the issue of the injunction preventing Elections of the Guyana Cricket Board, the Guyana Cricket Administration Act and the alleged illegality of the GCB, it was announced that the injunction had been quashed, paving the way for Elections to be held.
With a scheduled press conference at Malteenoes in progress yesterday discussing the issues and planning the way forward, which included another protest in front of the Education Ministry planned for tomorrow, former WICB Director Claude Raphael made a late and dramatic entrance with what he termed ‘breaking news’.
The former Chairman of the GCB’ National Selection panel disclosed that he was just from a meeting with Attorney General Williams at his Chambers where he was told by the AG that the Injunction preventing the Elections of the GCB and their sub Boards (Berbice, Demerara & Essequibo) from being held had been quashed which now clears the way for elections to be held.
“The way is now clear for us to have Elections,” Raphael told the Media and a high-level head table which included former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran, TIGI President Troy Thomas and APNU/AFC Collation member David Hinds.
Raphael further informed that a meeting was set up by AG Williams for tomorrow with the Cricket Board executives in its Acting President Faizul Bacchus and its Secretary Anand Sanasie along with the key members of the Guyana Cricket Stakeholders, invited to attend.
Former GCB Vice-President Bissoon Singh said that he feels the purpose of tomorrow’s meeting is to inform both parties that the injunction had been quashed and not to negotiate any issue.
After Vice-President of the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) Neil Barry, the former Guyana batsman, had given a comprehensive opening speech in which he said why this group of alleged ‘illegal’ GCB officials should not be running Guyana’s number one sport, Hinds noted that the impasse Management of cricket has had a negative impact on Guyana’s cricket.
“It’s unfair and undemocratic when one faction is running the show since cricket is more than just a game for Guyanese. It is time that Government steps in. I will go back to my party (WPA) and try to see if that matter of the cricket Act be brought up in Parliament,” Hinds said.
Barry read a message from the Director of Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI) Alfred Buhlai, which said, TIGI is pleased to see this large reminder to the Government to execute its duties in a timely manner. Cricket is the National sport which binds and inspires us most, and this long continuance of the lack of transparency and accountability by the present officials purporting to represent Guyana at the West Indies and ICC levels is corrupting the fairness associated with the word ‘cricket’ here in our country.
The Cricket Stake Holders may therefore certainly be assured that TIGI will continue to be concerned until transparency and accountably are fully restored.
Former Guyana batsman Mark Harper, Neil Barry, Politician David Hinds, TIGI President Thomas, Upper Demerara representative Marvin Burns, West Berbice Cricket Association’s Rabindranauth Saywack and Singh shared the head table.
The group says that now the road is cleared for elections of the GCB and County Boards, a new Ombudsman must be selected and the respective County Boards hold their election before the GCB elections are held.
In light of the new development, tomorrow’s planned protest has been called off pending what transpires at tomorrow’s meeting with the AG.