Democratic vote in cricket board elections

THE EDITOR: The an-nouncement that former West Indies test cricketer Deryck Murray will be contesting the post of president in the upcoming Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board elections scheduled for October 25 has generated a lot of interest among the cricket fraternity in the country.

Judging from media reports and from the talk around the town, it would appear as though Murray is definitely the best candidate for the post. But then the final decision does not lie with the media or the thousands of cricket fans but with 43 individuals who have voting rights. Interestingly, outside the five national officers and four nominated members, who are supposed to be independent with their views, the other 34 are representatives of various organisations. These include 15 from the five zones, six from the National Cricket League, three from the super league and two each from the Umpires body, Primary Schools League, Secondary Schools League, Women’s League and the Tobago zone.

Therefore, in my humble view, I would expect that on election day the way these individuals will vote, will be based on the dictates of the organisations that they represent and not on their personal views. Therefore I strongly recommend that in order for local cricket to get the best candidate to fill the top position, that discussions should be held by these organisations and based on consensus. Mandates should then be given to these individuals as to how they should vote. After all we are still living in a democratic country.  Presidents will come and presidents will go but the game will always be here. I therefore call on the above named organisations, to ensure that no one individual or any small clique dictate the pace for us but instead let the stake holders decide.

MARTIN JOHNSON
Curepe