'WICB Not Sufficiently Accountable'

Caricom Heads of Government believe the WICB is "not sufficiently accountable," St. Lucia Prime Minister Kenny Anthony said here tonight. And they have made certain proposals to the WICB to restore accountability.

However, those proposals do not include the disciplining and/or selection of players, areas in which the politicians do not have and do not want a role.

"The discipline and selection of West Indies cricketers must remain sacrosanct," Dr. Anthony said, adding that the day those areas come under political control was the day when all would be lost.

The Prime Minister noted that governments had been building cricket facilities (and therefore had a stake) and have offered "salutary advice."

"You can't continue to allow disputes to overwhelm you," he said adding that the Caricom Heads had done three things.

"First, we have established a group of three eminent persons to offer dispute resolution.

"Second, we have invited the WICB to be an Associate Institution of CARICOM, and third, we have told the WICB that it needs to review its governance arrangements. And this relates to the entire Board and its individual country representation."

Dr. Anthony was addressing a well-attended "Community Forum" on the Caribbean Single Market and Economy.

STATEMENT FROM 26TH HEADS OF GOVT. MEETING; JULY 3-6 2005

Heads of Government considered the persistent crisis in West Indies Cricket, and in particular, the deteriorating relations between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA). They agreed to:

" invite the WICB to become an Associate Institution of the Community;

" provide material support for a programme for the development of West Indies Cricket, given its critical place in Caribbean integration and development;

" invite the Board and the Players Association to establish immediately a Good Offices Mechanism comprising three eminent Caribbean persons to assist in the resolution of disputes between the Board and the Association;

"re-affirm that the authority of the WICB in the selection and discipline of players must remain sacrosanct.

Heads of Government were apprised of security issues arising out of the contractual obligations of Member States in respect of the hosting of CWC 2007 and the legislative and other security measures which must be put in place at the regional level to ensure the successful and safe conduct of the tournament.

They agreed that the Management Framework for Crime and Security should also include a Co-ordinating Unit to harmonize the security procedures to be put in place throughout the Region and to function as the liaison between CWC 2007 and regional Governments, and in particular the Ministers responsible for National Security and Law enforcement, in matters pertaining to regional security arising out of the hosting of Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007.