SUNDAY MUSINGS

From the day Adam and Eve bit the forbidden fruit, human kind became susceptible to the desires of good and evil leading to lust between man and woman. I have nothing against sex. From the point of an amoeba to the giant whales in the sea, all living beings on this planet earth is susceptible to the gender growth and the primary vehicle for that is sex.

However, through the evolutionary process, the humans have evolved and have built up certain norms and ethics that fit them into a society to live within the given peripheries. There are rules and regulations, but, the effect of the original sin – the animal lust – is still inherent in us.

Why we are wading through this boring certainties of life is because, the present cricket world in Sri Lanka is rocked by a so-called sex scandal. But, at the same time I wonder as to why it blew up out of proportion. Was it because of the magnitude of the felony in question or was the ongoing in-house political rumble taking a new turn to sling mud at each other – or a certain party?

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) Executive Committee decided at an emergency meeting to conduct an immediate inquiry into allegations that members of Sri Lanka women’s cricket team management and national selectors had to be bribed sexually by Sri Lanka women’s cricketers if they were to get selected to the national team and keep their places.

The incident gathered moss while rolling outside Sri Lanka Cricket and the quantum of negative publicity that the story was attracting prompted the authorities to take steps to probe the matter.

What initially went wrong was that the higher ups formed a committee that comprised SLC Secretary Nishantha Ranatunga, Vice President Mohan de Silva, Assistant Secretary Hirantha Perera and National Selection Committee (for men’s cricket) Chairman Sanath Jayasuriya.

At this point the Jayantha Dharmadasa (SLC President) faction picked up the stones pelted at the committee saying that they were not satisfied with the arrangement and called for an independent investigation into the scandal.

“The President of SLC feels that a complete outsider who is not in any of the SLC Sub Committees should be carrying out this investigation,” These intimations made by Dharmadasa were tabled by SLC CEO Ashley de Silva at the ex-co meeting.

Meanwhile, the SLC’s Head of Cricket Operations, Carlton Bernardus, the SLC’s Human Resources Manager Lasitha Mendis and SLC Legal officer Savithri Fernando had discussions with the women’s team selectors, the women’s team management and five senior players. They felt that the matter should be probed into.

At this point SLC disciplinary committee chairman and prominent Lawyer Palitha Kumarasinghe’s name came up. SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga suggested that he should be the one -- and not an outsider -- who should carry out the investigations. Ranatunga was of the view that any person who carries out the investigation should know about the SLC’s legal background and culture.

While the battle was gathering momentum inside the hallowed halls of Maitland Place, the SLC once again became the focal point of a parliamentary debate with Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage promising MPs that he would appoint an independent committee to probe into the matter and take action against the culprits. He said he would table the outcome within four days.

The news made headlines not only in Sri Lanka, but in many cricketing na- tions overseas also. This piece of news was giving additional publicity to the already simmering charges of corruption, political interference, mounting debts at the Cricket Headquarters in Sri Lanka.However the SLC said this week that the Sports Minister’s promised four-day probe might take time.

Talking to the Sunday Times SLC CEO Ashley de Silva explained that the matter may take a little long to complete. He said, “It will be probed by an eminent woman lawyer who is competent in cases of this nature and only after she completes her report we would have to ascertain how we should proceed. Anyway once the report reaches us, we will direct it to the SLC executive committee and they would hand over the case to the minister. Anyway the committee who is appointed by the minister should have some documented evidence to start its own investigations.”

However, we also must ask, if the lady cricketer in question was within her rights when she went out of the SLC circle to cry out her woes. Shouldn’t have she chosen to go to authorities within the SLC framework for redress? If she had no faith in her own management, she could have sought the help of others. The hierarchical steps consist of the Head of Cricket Operations, the SLC CEO, the SLC Secretary or the President himself.

This episode did not end at that point. Now isn’t this a typical case of mishandling a situation owing to petty internal differences?

While living within the cinders of disharmony, Ranatunga and co knowing that the Dharmadasa faction is waiting to latch on to whatever they could throw back should have been more prudent. They should have given the sole authority to the executive committee to take a unanimous decision and conduct an internal investigation and bring to book whoever was responsible.

On previous occasions the SLC has handled more serious cases that would have exploded into epic propositions. One such case is when an association between a National cricketer and a women from the African continent surfaced. At that point, the SLC handled the matter well and damage control was in full effect.

Now the little bird of wisdom has flown away. Sri Lanka Cricket owing to its foolish factionalism has brought disgrace upon itself. May be the whole episode may fizzle into a nonplussed limbo after the full scale inquiry, but, by then the negative publicity that the story has gathered will be etched in the people’s mind.

Over to you Mr. Jayantha Dharmadasa and Mr. Nishantha Ranatunga! You are mature enough to understand what negative publicity could do to the only game that all Lankans are proud to be a part of. You do not have to go very far, just travel to North India – there the people will know Sangakkara, Jayawardena and Malinga, but, not any of the politicians who seem to own the country in the present context.