An Open Letter to Caribbean Heads of Government

Dear Caribbean Heads of Government:

Whenever the opportunities arise, you are always quick to point out how important West Indies cricket is to the Caribbean region; how binding it is; how it was one of our first collective successes; how it put our name on the world stage; how much joy it has brought to fans all over the world; how we so much so revere the names and value the contributions of Sir Learie Constantine, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Everton Weekes, Sir Vivian Richards, and lastly, how much we cherish these high-caliber individuals.

You needn't be reminded that things we cherish need our constant vigil and at times may even need our protection. When our physical stock of land is under threat from, or has been compromised by the vicissitudes of nature, we respond with collective alacrity and even welcome assistance from beyond the region to arrest the degradation, and to replenish and to restore.

Would it be therefore, with all its attributes and stated sentimentalities, too much to characterize cricket as our intellectual property? No nation on earth plays the game with such a patented flair, and never have so many tears, across the boundaries of nation states, been shed for the demise of one of our flagship entities. It is with this backdrop that I call on you, not to ignore what might well happen this coming Wednesday, March 27th, 2013. If you do, history will neither smile on you, nor forgive you. Not when you had the chance to rudder our great game back on the right course and to pull this unquestionable Caribbean unifier's, up from out of its downward spiral.

On principle, you may now be tempted to conveniently proffer, that the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is a private entity, and should be allowed to operate as such, washed clean of government intervention. I will quickly though remind, that no Caribbean territory, not one, can say that they have at not one stage or the other, found it fit to cajole, chide, cry foul to, demand an explanation from, poke, protest, provoke, ridicule or question an action of the WICB, when it feels that it either has been hard done, or it is in its interest.

Now is the time therefore, to collectively intervene, as a body whose sole purpose is not to seek a parochial favor or favoritism, but to recognize that there is a higher calling, which is to re-rail a system de-railed into serving local stations only. It will serve you no good, if only your station or town has rail service. The entire network of stations must feel interconnected and have a stake in keeping the trains running on time. And so I ask that you as a body, not only consider, but act to re-fashion West Indies cricket before another sordid page is added to its history.

Honorable Heads of Government, when it was released on the respected internet site ESPNcricinfo .com that one Mr. Clive Lloyd had not garnered the second vote needed for him to be considered for the office of president of the WICB, the outpouring in the form of comments, was global, profound in amazement, shock and sympathy. "Had the Caribbean region not learnt from unceremoniously dismissing one of their own?" these comments bleated. History books are filled with tear-soaked pages of how, when confronted by the proverbial forks in the road, on almost every occasion, we took the wrong turns.

Luckily for us, Mr. CLR James was successful in his campaign to get the right man Sir Frank Worrell, to be appointed captain of the West Indies team to Australia in 1960-61. And it was on that tour that Sir Frank distinguished himself as a leader, a statesman, a diplomat, a unifier, and a globally recognized figure among cricketing nations. Before that though, we had ignored the teaching of one of the region's foremost national heroes - the Honorable Marcus Garvey. In Jamaica, it was only after others found value in his philosophies and opinions that they decided to reclaim his bones. The same could be said of the expositions of that young brilliant man – Mr. Walter Rodney. Guyana now, much to its credit, has found it in its heart to give the gentleman his due.

And now, we are rapidly approaching another fork in the road – the election of a new president for the WICB. The patient is being strapped to its gurney and its veins are being prepared to be injected with either one of two administrations that the Caribbean people clearly do not want. Dr. Hunte's time in office has not been stellar. And of Mr. Cameron, little or nothing is known except for the fact that he understudied Dr. Hunte.

West Indies cricket under the Hunte-Cameron regime has been fraught with too many mis-steps, as well-intentioned as they might have been. From flirting with Mr. Allen Stanford, to marginalizing and effectively muzzling the voice of the Caribbean people during what should have been in 2007 - their Cricket World Cup. Not to mention their using T20 cricket to mark our accomplishments, while knowing well that it is by our success in Test cricket, that our cricketing success is rightfully indexed.

But Honorable Ministers, do not act on my word alone. Listen to two of our most respected, trusted and venerable voices – those of the doyen cricket journalist Mr. Tony Cozier, and the level-headed social commentator, Mr. Rickey Singh. In essence, the former has in his wisdom, chose not to endorse either of the two legitimate candidates for the office in question. And the latter is lamenting the exclusion of Mr. Clive Hubert Lloyd – a studied disciple and exquisite practitioner of the Sir Frank Worrell doctrine of progress for us, and fair play with others.

I encourage you dear leaders to not follow others and hide behind the fig leaf of 'the process'. Do the right thing and somehow, some way, ensure that Mr. Clive Lloyd – the people's candidate, is in the process. Even if it means postponing the execution of West Indies cricket scheduled for Wednesday, March 27, 2013. Respectfully,

Your humble Caribbean citizen,

Ray Ford