PM Rowley responds again to cricket criticism | Local Sports

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Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley has hit back at Dr Tim Gopeesingh who, in a letter to the editor published in the Trinidad Express on Tuesday, expressed his amazement at the Prime Ministers question on who owns West Indies cricket.

Dr Gopeesingh wrote: So, to PM Rowley – we had played cricket together in Irvine Hall, at our UWI, Mona student days in the 1970s – I advised him to search for the Patterson Report, the Caricom Review Panel on the Governance of Cricket report , and the many other findings of various regional committees and the WICB, to get some answers to what he is now seeking.

But, in this scenario, I ask-to what avail? Notably, PM Rowley headed Caricom for about six months in the past two years. I am sure that, if he is indeed serious about this matter, he can bring it to the forefront again at the next Caricom meeting.

Tuesday, the Prime Minister posted a response to the letter on his Facebook page, reminding his colleague that he was part of the Caricom Heads Committee and was one of the Leaders who received and deliberated on the Barriteau Report in Grenada.

Hello Dr Tim. (my former cricket colleague) a fairly good historical published summary of the regional efforts to grapple with the chronic decline of West Indies cricket.

However, maybe if you had not omitted that I served on the Caricom Heads Committee and was one of the Leaders who received and deliberated on the Barriteau Report in Grenada, then your frantic leader might have saved herself the embarrassing rant of the ill-tempered and ill-informed, the Prime Minister wrote.

The Barriteau Report recommended the immediate dissolution of the West Indies Cricket Board and the appointment of an Interim Board whose structure and composition will be radically different from the now proven obsolete governance framework.

Dr Gopeesingh noted that despite numerous reports, the competent management of West Indies cricket still remains something to be fulfilled, even after so many WICB chairmen.

I am certain that PM Rowleys cricket question today would have emanated from his recent discussions with the legendary Sir Vivian Richards, while they were playing golf, Dr Gopeesingh added.

The Prime Minister said: Btw, partner, my exercise regime is strongly recommended and supported by my doctor and I am sure that you can attest that walking the Moka golf course at daybreak is a delightful exercise which is far more healthful and beneficial…

Meanwhile, current Cricket West Indies president Ricky Skerritt on more than one occasion, expressed his commitment to governance reform ,confirming that the key recommendations of the Wehby Report would have been taken before the general membership of the board in March this year.

In 2019, Jamaican businessman Don Wehby chaired a Governance Task Force charged with reviewing and implementing reform of CWIs governance structure.

The independent task force also included Sir Hilary Beckles, Deryck Murray, OK Melhado and Charles Wilkin QC.

The task force consulted extensively, and the 36-page report drew from a wide cross section of expertise from knowledgeable persons in the West Indies as well as in the global game.

When he took over the presidency from Dave Cameron in 2019, Skerritt stated his intention to champion the reports recommendations with his best efforts, in an attempt to achieve much needed comprehensive and sustainable change for the growth and development of the organization.

He said various reforms had already been implemented including most of what was presented by financial consultants Parnell Kerr Foster (PKF) in their 2019 Business Situation Assessment and Financial Review of the organisation.

Most of the 38 recommendations in that PKF report have already been implemented. I can therefore assure you that CWI today is a much better governed organization, with a genuine focus on accountability, integrity and transparency, Skerritt told the Express last year.

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