Way clear for Demerara Cricket Board elections

With the Cricket Administration Act no longer suspended, the Demerara Cricket Board (DCB) is likely to now be able to hold its elections to select office-holders.

On Monday, presidents of the East Bank and West Demerara Cricket Associations—Anand Kalladeen and Anand Sanasie respectively withdrew from the Guyana Court of Appeal, a summons they had filed to stay the DCB from holding elections owing to the suspension of the cricket Act.

The stay-application had been set to come up for hearing before Justice of Appeal Rishi Persaud.

On Monday, however, Kalladeen and Anand Sanasie (the appellants) were granted leave to withdraw and discontinue their August 7th, 2019 summons in relation to the DCB’s election.

They had wanted the appellate court to stay an order of High Court Judge, Navindra Singh, who had ordered the holding of elections by the Guyana and Demerara Cricket Boards, during the time the Act was suspended.

Justice Singh’s order was made on June 20th, 2019.

Last September, however, the Court of Appeal restored the Act to full force, which paved the way for the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to set in motion plans to have the Guyana and

Demerara Cricket Boards elected.

Following Justice Singh’s order, Kalladeen and Sanasie had applied to the Court of Appeal to stop the elections on the grounds that the Cricket Act was suspended. They had wanted the stay to have effect until their summons would have been fully heard and determined.

Attorney-at-Law, Arudranauth Gossai, who represents the interest of a number of cricket stakeholders, had previously told this newspaper that with the suspension having been lifted, Justice Persaud would had to have determine whether he would grant a further stay of the election.

Gossai had said that the application for the stay was premised on the Act being suspended; and had suggested that since it was restored in full force, the stay application would have to be refused.

The Cricket Administration Act, which was passed in 2014, seeks to provide legal administrative guidelines for cricket. It allows the Guyana Cricket Board to be established as a corporate body comprising the Demerara, Essequibo, and the Berbice Cricket Boards, all of which are to be made corporate entities too.

Among other things, the Act also seeks to provide for better financial accountability, thus requiring the GCB to present timely audited financial reports to the National Assembly, as well as the National Sports Commission.