N Touch

‘Are banks ripping off consumers?’

Certainly, there is widepread public perception that this is the case.

In recent interviews conducted in six CARICOM countries, interviewees complained about the excessively high interest rates on loans, low deposit rates, and extortionate service charges, including excessively high charges for seemingly simple services like providing a bank statement. Moreover, some critics are convinced that banks collude to fix interest rates and service charges. Indeed, local bankers in one country accused the foreign bankers of fixing prices, and having done so for the last 50 years. While in TT most of the banks are locally owned, it is quite the opposite in the other countries. In all the countries surveyed, there is little or no difference in the interest rates offered or charges for services within the countries, though differences exist across countries. Yet, there are small and large banks, and presumably, the cost of services must differ, given economies of scale. Smaller banks need a wider spread than larger banks; yet, they all have equivalent spreads within the national economy. One could deduce that the profits accumulated by the large banks must be substantial, given that the small banks can survive on the spread. Certainly, consumers view this wide spread with grave suspicion, and in Jamaica, they tried to get the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) to make banks provide information to the public rationalising the spread. However, this comes under the purview of the Central Bank and the FTC did not intervene.

One banker, when interviewed was quite frank, and admitted that the wide spread is designed to maintain profitability, and that this could be done because banks dominate the financial sector. There are no other institutions or instruments to compete with them, such as bonds, and consumers prefer to use debt financing and large overdrafts, and not equity financing, since this would require them to relinquish some control over their businesses and reveal sensitive information. In this banker’s view, there is an unsophisticated culture amongst investors, not enough information on other instruments, and lack of confidence in the stock market. This gives banks muscle within the financial sector. Most bankers argued that they do not collude, but rather, adopt a follow-the-leader tactic, and that (in some countries) they only consult on broad issues related to the general market environment and the trend that may be needed. They do not fix prices, they insisted. In some countries, there were no Banker’s Associations. However, some islands are so small that it is inevitable that the bankers would know each other and meet frequently.


Bankers justified the fees and charges on several counts. For many, the reserve requirement of Central Bank was too high (as much as 24% in Belize, and 22% in TT at the time of the interview as opposed to 6% in OECS countries), and, together with the deposit insurance requirement in TT, this means that a large proportion of capital was not earning revenues. Banks need to make up for this by charging higher interest rates.  They also complained about the high cost of fees for legal services, and the impact this has on the final cost of money. Another cost factor that has to be considered, according to some bankers, is the high rate of loan delinquency. For instance, in the Bahamas, it is as high as 19% of accounts. St Lucian bankers face a particularly difficult problem in that, in addition to having a high delinquency rate, banks are constrained in their ability to have quick recourse to recover the funds. This is because a civil law code denies mortgage right of sale, so that banks cannot dispose of property in settlement expeditiously. Rather, the procedures could take up to five or six  years. Another cost-increasing factor is the systems that banks have had to put in place to comply with anti-terrorism/money laundering guidelines under the US Patriot Act. More security means more cost, and if the guidelines are not followed, the country could be blacklisted and hurt by a US backlash. Indeed, some bankers argued that, contrary to public perception, some services are performed at a loss.

Jamaican bankers claim that they are in a particularly precarious situation because of the instability of the currency. They need to protect against inflation, since depreciation of the currency has a bearing on cost. Further, it is reported that the government is keeping interest rates high in an attempt to curb capital flight. One can also question the high spread between the selling and buying rates of foreign currency, which could be as much as 9-10 points. However this spread fluctuates, depending on demand and supply: the availability of foreign currency, the level of reserves, the strategies Central Bank may adopt to tighten or release control on foreign exchange. In TT, the spread could be reduced if more competition is introduced by allowing other supplies of foreign currency, such as Cambios. However, one has to question the advisability of this for two reasons. Firstly, the government is the major earner of foreign currency, which is held by the Central Bank. Where will Cambios get their supply of currency? While there is an underground economy, one certainly does not want to encourage it.  In most economies, the private sector is the major earner of foreign currency. Secondly, Cambios could be more prone to speculation than banks, and could destabilise the exchange rate, something which we certainly do not want in TT

Despite the compelling reasons put forward by bankers to justify their rates, there must be room for improvement on the package being offered to customers, and banks must be willing to relinquish some profits in the interest of generating economic activity. One solution offered is consolidation of the banking sector (and this is already happening), leading to increased efficiency and less cost, more competition and lower rates. It is heartening to see that some banks in TT are making an attempt to restructure their fees in the consumer’s favour and to be more transparent. 


The views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of Guardian Life. You are invited to send your comments to guardianlife@ghl.co.tt

The Finishing Touch

You can walk off the hot, dusty streets of Ariapita Avenue into the cool, fragrant atmosphere of Basia Imports and let your spirits soar.

Opened in May, Basia, is   owned by West Indies cricketer Ricardo Powell and his wife Alicia John-Powell. It is a cottage business catering to the quirks of home-owners with a hunger for the unusual.  The couple recently migrated to Trinidad from Jamaica to start the business. “My husband loves Trinidad, so that’s why we decided to open our business here,” said John-Powell. Basia is a Polish word for ‘exotic’ and Mrs John-Powell felt it was exactly what she needed to define her shop. She is the driving force behind the business. As her husband sat at his desk, Alicia was the one giving insights into the business.

Over the past few years, numerous small businesses have sprouted offering locals antique jewelry, charms and unique furniture brought in from foreign places. In San Fernando, there are like Fetish and Studio XTC, Precious Little in West Mall and Bynoe in St James. But, Basia, say its owners, offers homeowners  a different twist. John-Powell calls her merchandise, “conversational pieces”. She acknowledges that there is competition in her line of business, but feels she has the edge. “People may have unusual stuff, but when you come to us you are getting one-of-a-kind things. You won’t go to someone’s home and see something you bought from us,” said John-Powell. When the Powells first began thinking about opening a business, they mulled over exactly what it would be.

In Jamaica, Alicia was a human resource consultant manager, a job, she said, was too seasonal. She wanted something to occupy her time during the off-season. According to her, the idea for the business came as a divine intervention. “At the time when my husband was in India I was still living in Jamaica, doing research into what would be a good business to get into. I spoke to a lot of my friends in Jamaica trying to get a taste of what I really wanted to do. I also did a lot of praying,” said John-Powell. She felt it was a huge step closing down her business in Jamaica to move to Trinidad to face the unexpected, but it was a chance she was willing to take. As far as she was concerned, she had nothing to lose.  “The way to know if you chose the right business,” said John-Powell, “is when you get up every morning and don’t have that feeling of going to work.”

For the Powells, Ariapita Avenue, is working out just fine. In the two short months they have been there, the business can boast of having a dedicated list of clients along with curious people walking in off the street. After careful research of the market, the Powells decided to import their merchandise from India and different parts of Africa. Now the store is full of hand woven rugs, furniture, hand painted ceramics, large multi-coloured candles and candelabra, cushions, black metal lamps and even ancient masks. With such diversity, Basia can hardly be described as ordinary. The interior of the store is painted dark red, making it dim and daring. The store can have a calming effect on you. The air is filled with a Vanilla aroma, giving it a homely atmosphere. “My things are eclectic. A person goes to a furniture store, buys a formal living room set and beds and then they come to me to fill the gap,” she said. “I sell them character, an image for their home. The finishing touch,” said John-Powell. Basia though has had its fair of critics. According to John-Powell, she has had her share of rude remarks from the odd customer. She said while some people come in and immediately fall in love with what she has to sell, others say because it comes from Africa,they won’t buy it. She calls this “historic thinking” and says she does not allow it to faze her. “I am beyond that, it is not part of my psyche,” said John-Powell.

The actual setting up of the business the Powells said, was a horrifying experience. The business process began while they were still living in Jamaica. This, in itself, is a difficult thing, since the business was being set up in Trinidad. The most strenuous part was finding the right suppliers. She said finding reliable suppliers in Asia is a difficult task if you don’t know where to look. “We could have bought merchandise from anywhere, but Jamaicans have this thing they call ‘Banduloo’ and we didn’t want any Banduloo suppliers,” she said with a grin. According to her, a “banduloo” supplier was one who would send you an empty container, without any remorse. Her advice to people getting into this type of business, where you depend on the shipment of containers, is to ensure you do careful research into your suppliers. She said it makes no sense to invest your money in a venture unless you are sure you are getting what you pay for. Also, John-Powell said if you have friends in business, seek their advice, even if it is to learn from their mistakes. Her husband, she said, is very careful and selective in choosing the right suppliers. After finding the right suppliers, John-Powell said traveling to each supplier and choosing the items they wanted for the store, became a hassle. It took the couple three months to source their items. Since almost everything in the store is custom-made, the ordering cycle was a lesson in business. Sometimes they needed to wait for suppliers to design their new pieces before they could have placed the orders. With all this in mind, the Powells were still dead set on making the business work for them. They want to ensure all the items brought in are as unique to the local market as possible. And if this business does not succeed, John-Powell said, then they will pick themselves up and try something new.

Idea of national parks

CONSERVATIONISTS, indeed all TT-loving citizens, will be pleased with the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday of a new environmental thrust for the country. This is an area of the country’s national life that, for whatever reason, has never received the kind of caring and consistent attention from the authorities that it deserves. The result has been a gradual deterioration of the environment not only from deliberate or uncaring polluters and degraders but also from a lack of official concern, a failure to enhance and promote TT’s rich natural and historical heritage. While governments have seen fit to have a Ministry of the Environment as part of their administration, we cannot recall this office undertaking any positive programme of improvement on a national scale or any initiative to inculcate a love and appreciation for the environment among our people, particularly members of our school-age population.

In this lamentable context, one can only hope that the plans announced by Mr Manning on Monday will be more than the earnest but empty rhetoric that officials have ritually bestowed on the environment over the years. To a large extent, Trinidadians, enjoying a high degree of mobility, are lovers of the out-doors, the evidence for which is obvious in the crowds which flock to our beaches on weekends. This is why, we feel sure, they would particularly welcome the plan to establish a number of National Parks and Wild Life Conservation Projects to be funded and assisted by international sources. As far as we know, only the Queen’s Park Savannah and the Botanical Gardens serve as unofficial national parks but they do not have the kind of organisation, supervision and security that national parks should have. There are areas in north, central and south Trinidad and also in Tobago where such parks can be ideally established. Such places will offer our citizens additional opportunities for quiet relaxation in natural and scenic surroundings which we expect will have adequate protection and security. Civilised countries all over the world have their national parks which exercise their own kind of therapy by providing their societies with the space to engage in a number of healthy activities which ease the burden and tensions of the workplace or the monotony and drudgery of domestic life. We feel sure that many of these countries will be willing to help the TT government in this environmental thrust.

Two other considerations come to mind with the PM’s announcement. The first is the present public alarm over the level of crime in TT and the caution, even worry, that our citizens now have as they move about in the conduct of their daily business. If this menace is not controlled, how prone will our people be to venture out to national parks which may be situated in relatively remote places? The second concerns the need to instill in our young people a love of their country, both in terms of its natural heritage and what it offers for their individual personal development. National parks can also serve this purpose but we wonder to what extent they would be appreciated, having regard to the sorry experience the National Library has had from the influx of students given free access to its facilities. It is sad to realise that generations of young people are growing up without a true sense of patriotism, an appreciation of their country and what it has to offer, a genuine respect for authority and the established order. We remember many years ago, the annual school outing to interesting and historic places in TT was an exciting and much anticipated event in the lives of students. Nothing, as far as we know, has ever replaced that as a means of fostering the love of country in our young people.

Guyana breaks ranks under US pressure


Guyana’s agreeing to the demand of the United States not to hold any US soldiers for turning over to the International Criminal Court for trial for war crimes, while a betrayal of Caricom ideals, is an example not merely of Guyana’s weakness, but one of the bullying tactics of Uncle Sam.

Guyana, a relatively poor Caribbean country, is on the one hand hoping that its action will bring accelerated US private sector investment and US Government aid, while on the other cringingly repaying the US for having saved it in the late nineties from being declared in default. This had happened when the Paris Club, a group of creditor nations mainly West European and including Japan, demanded payment of outstanding loans made to Guyana, had been asked by the US, not only to stay their hands, but to actually forgive two-thirds of the Guyanese debt. I have dealt with this in earlier columns. And understandably, should the United States, with its literal sword of Damocles hanging over the head of the South American country, lift its mantle of protection, Guyana would be once again open to relevant Paris Club nations demanding monies owed them, and risk being declared in default. This would mean that Guyana’s overseas investments and shipments to the value of monies owed, could be seized until the debt is discharged. Guyana’s is a difficult situation. In turn, any lifting of protection by the United States could mean that Venezuela may not only reopen the issue of its claims to a substantial part of the Caricom country, but actually send troops in should it believe that the US would not intervene militarily. Admittedly, this is an extreme position.

The United States’ coercing of Guyana on the International Criminal Court issue is plain bullying. Theoretically, Trinidad and Tobago could exert some pressure of its own on Guyana, which today owes this country somewhat in excess of US$160 million, and may never be able to repay this sum. What if Trinidad and Tobago should give Guyana a time within which to start liquidating the debt or face action leading to its being declared in default? Guyana would be placed in an extremely difficult position. Unfortunately, however, the United States, which sees itself as a ‘friend’ of Guyana, if only to maintain a convenient foothold in South America, and at at the same time keep Venezuela ‘in its place,’ may then move against this country. The US has several options, one of which is to pressure those Paris Club nations to which Trinidad and Tobago owes money, to call in their debts! It can also exert pressure through the Inter-American Development Bank, and through the International Monetary Fund.

I shift gears. Any Iraqis, who are understandably relieved to be rid of their former dictator, Saddam Hussein, and perhaps see the American and British armed forces as liberators, may discover, as the Filipinos did after the end of the Spanish-American War of 1898, that they are there as colonisers and/or exploiters. Emilio Aguinaldo, the famous Filipino patriot, who had at first welcomed the Americans in 1898, hoping that they had come to liberate them from brutal Spanish rule, would later lead the battle for Filipino Independence from 1899 to March of 2001. US President William McKinley’s remark in 1898 that the US was in the Philipines merely “to educate the Filipinos, and uplift and civilise and Christianise them,” would later be criticised by Mark Twain, whom I quoted in an earlier column, and by the industrialist-philanthroper, Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie, who is best known in this country for his establishing and funding of the Carnegie Free Library in San Fernando, which bears his name, would say with bitterness to the US Government after some 100,000 Filipinos had been killed fighting for their freedom, and effectively subdued: “You seem to have about finished civilising the Filipinos.”

Saddam Hussein’s rule of Iraq was brutal and corrupt, but this is no excuse for the United States and the United Kingdom, which invaded Iraq on the basis of misleading their countrymen/women, and an incredibly large number of other people, to remain on in that country. Iraq, in 2003, is the same as the Philippines in 1898 et sequitur. The US had invaded the Philippines in 1898, not to free the island chain from Spanish rule, but rather to establish a protected gateway to the then rapidly expanding markets of the Far East. Its military intervention in Iraq was not designed to free Iraqis from Saddam, that was incidental. It was primarily to control Iraq’s massive oil reserves and to stop Hussein’s tactic, developed in 1999, of not only having his crude exports to Europe paid for in Euros, but that of encouraging other Middle Eastern nations to trump and follow suit. And with Iraq’s and Kuwait’s oil under control, the aim was clearly to make Israel irrelevant! Meanwhile, the Iraqis appear to have in place a calculating strategy of not killing many American troops at any given time, but rather at an average of one a day. They appear to work on the assumption that killing one US soldier a day would generate a groundswell of parental and otherwise family opinion demanding the return of American troops. The Iraqis seem to accept however, that any large scale slaughter of US servicemen would have the opposite effect, and see a call for tougher measures against any rebellion.

No such thing as ‘safe abortion’

THE EDITOR: With reference to a letter from ASPIRE in Newsday, responding to my letter of July 12 detailing the death of a mother of three through abortion, it is interesting to note that they have not gotten the point — this was a medically approved planned parenthood clinic in which the “poor woman,” a mother of three met her death. It was no back street abortionist — Please!!!

I would repeat that there is no such thing as a “safe” abortion. The child in the womb always dies. The woman frequently suffers damage. The reality about “legal” abortions — and I quote from the article — “Abortion Related Maternal Morality: An In-Depth Analysis,” from New Perspectives on Human Abortion (published by Hyattsville, Md: University Publications of America): “With the introduction of abortion on demand, no significant change has been detected in the maternal mortality rate which could be attributed to legal abortion. “In analysing the trend in maternal deaths due to induced abortion, it has been shown that while maternal deaths stemming from criminal abortion appear to be decreasing, they have been replaced, almost one for one, by maternal deaths due to legal abortions. The results of this study indicate that there has been no significant impact on the relative frequency of abortion related maternal deaths due to induced abortion since the legalisation of abortion.”

There is a time in the history of a people when God places the burden of responsibility for action on the shoulders of its citizens. This is the time for Trinidadians and Tobagonians to choose. Every believer in the sanctity of human life has a duty to stand up and be counted, for should abortion be legalised in our land we will all be held accountable for condoning (even in silence) the murder of innocent babies. And to those who through misguided compassion (forget the unborn child) and fail to understand that the murder of even one innocent child through abortion brings about a cycle of violence, consider the fact that even as every year abortions increase in Trinidad and Tobago, so too there is a corresponding increase in violence, murders, kidnappings etc. Should we not ponder the words of that saintly woman, Mother Theresa who said: “Violence begins in the womb.”

MARIA ANNETTE
DOPWELL
Port-of-Spain

TT should honour Mandela

THE EDITOR: The world is now gathered in Johannesburg to celebrate Nelson Mandela’s 85th birthday, and I renew my appeal that Trinidad and Tobago should honour the life and memory of a great and true world statesman. Several years ago, I advocated that the Eastern Main Road, or part of it be renamed after Mandela.

We should also have invited him to come to Trinidad and Tobago. What an inspiration that would have been to all the people of the Caribbean, to showcase an icon of such moral strength, who could be so devoid of any hate or animosity despite his 27 years of imprisonment. The man’s metal was best illustrated when he stepped back from political power, once he had fulfilled his mission to remove apartheid from the statute books of South Africa, and political power was in the hands of the majority blacks. It was during Patrick Manning’s first administration, and it fell on deaf ears. Many other parts of the world have recognised Mandela for his contribution to justice, to democracy and to our human society in our time.

Our leaders must have a wider world vision if we aspire to First World membership. I myself have found it difficult to succumb to all the 2020 hype, generated by one of Manning’s off the cuff dreams, no different to his expressed wish to occupy the Red House. In this I feel reassured by the recent comments of both Fr Clyde Harvey and Canon Knolly Clarke which seem to debunk Manning’s 2020 vision, while the nation is helpless and paralysed in the midst of a national crime epidemic.

I nonetheless commend Mr Arthur Lockjack for agreeing to champion Manning’s 2020 illusion, though I would have preferred if Arthur’s vision and abilities have been utilised instead as chairman of Udecott, or Caroni’s land bank. In either of these, his business expertise, his financial independence, and his TT passport are more likely to guarantee that Manning receives the best advice in the interest of Trinidad and Tobago. Is this however, what Manning wants, or is he just content with foreign sycophant gofers?


MICHAEL J WILLIAMS
Maracas

Data management can solve teacher delinquency

THE EDITOR: Mr Kamal Persad, teacher at Couva Government Secondary, writing in the press highlighted the ongoing controversy surrounding delinquent teachers.

Mr Persad chose to respond to statements by TTUTA President Trevor Oliver that his union will not tolerate teacher delinquency. The thrust of his argument was that principals already note the absence of teachers and forward reports to the Ministry for action. Such actions should be satisfactory to curb delinquency attributed to absenteeism. However, as a teacher of long service Mr Persad is aware that the issue of teacher delinquency goes farther. Even when reports are submitted, the traditional pace of response by the Ministry and the Teacher Service Commission does not engender any confidence that positive action will result. The recently completed Education Survey showed that students and parents have raised the issue of teacher delinquency as a significant factor in the rise of indiscipline.

Teacher delinquency can be traced to two specific areas. First, that teachers can leave and re-enter the school compound at will. A delinquent teacher may well arrive at school on time but during the day he/she may step out and not return. All teachers must be made to sign in and out —this is in keeping with the fact that they are assigned to the school for the whole day and should indicate when/why they need to leave. Second, teacher delinquency also arises when teachers are at school but (a) do not attend class and/or (b) they go to class but do not teach the students. In the former case they must indicate attendance at class and in the latter they need to state what was taught. Both of these situations can be easily addressed with the introduction of Data management based on automated time and attendance systems.

These systems allow for the capture of the arrival and departure times of each teacher using swipe cards. A summary of the work taught during the school day could also be recorded. Such a system must be automated otherwise the resulting workload involved in (1) preparing the Ministry Staff Punctuality Report may well overwhelm the administrative resources — especially in the Junior Secondary Schools and (2) manually recording classroom activity may be seen by TTUTA as an unnecessary time consuming activity. Time and Attendance systems could be deployed in response to a real or perceived problem at specific schools. Reports would be available online and could be forwarded electronically to the Ministry of Education.

Therefore any specific problems could be addressed in a timely manner and hopefully result in effective responses. It is interesting to note that neither the NPTA, TTUTA or the Ministry of Education have called for or moved towards the introduction of such systems. Presently the Ministry of Education plans to spend in the order of $1m to effect the issuance of ATM Cards for Book Grant Delivery. A similar sum could equip all of the Junior Secondary Schools, new SEMP Schools and the majority of the 5/7 year Government and Senior Secondary Schools that may require the system. Such expenditure could well be more valuable to the future of students and the long term operations of schools.


LOUIS R HERNANDEZ
Diego Martin

We are not on the road to Vision 2020

THE EDITOR: It is Friday morning and the headline ‘four young people kidnapped’ has shaken the entire country. The fact that we now have 112 kidnap victims for the year is alarming. We have lost control of crime. What are we doing? Where is this country going? Let me state categorically to this government “We are not on the road for Vision 2020.”

Firstly, so many of our youths were brought up with a lack of social and moral values and were denied employment opportunities over the last couple of years, as a result crime became a “means to an end!” While our present administration has in fact inherited this problem, the responsibility falls on them now to correct it before it is too late! If the police service cannot manage itself, then you to it! You have given them mobility, now they need intelligence information and of course the ability to decipher it. The means to obtain this intelligence information has been sitting on the tarmac during the previous and present administrations. I do not know the facts, but I am told that maintenance and training costs are not borne by our government. The UNC may have had its reasons to hiccup the whole intelligence initiative, but with an urgent need now for this arm to be fully up and running, all you hear is talk from various people in authority but no action. What is the PNM’s excuse? With human resources available in the country (some after being laid off and some newcomers in possession of valid licences) needing new opportunities and work, why the consistent delay in implementing a proper model that can assist in achieving the ultimate goal. Under its present makeup, where we are employing people who already have jobs and are committed to another employer, the reality is the ultimate goals that have been set cannot be achieved!

I must agree with Mr Mouttet from the Chamber of Industry and Commerce “enough is enough.” People from my age group are leaving this country in droves, mostly because of a lack of good opportunities. A word of caution, be careful we  reach 2020 and then find ourselves without local skills. Secondly, to stray a bit from my main topic, I have written in the past and implied that this government needs to move this country from its dependency on natural gas/oil. While I am the first to congratulate this PNM government for all its continued push to develop the oil and hydrocarbon sector, what about the other industries, for example tourism. While BWEE needs help financially, it also needs assistance in promoting itself. Are we really, I mean really advertising as we should internationally?  My final point is just to ask if anyone in the Ministry of Works and Transport is aware that the highway construction where the Atlantic LNG protestors are situated still needs to be finished. It has gone on too long without any changes being made and what has been left is a disaster. For god sakes, do something!


J D MILLER
Port-of-Spain

No names yet for WICB president

THE West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)  are yet to re-open nominations for the post of president.

This was revealed by board director and first vice-president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) Ellis Lewis yesterday. In a telephone interview from the sister isle, Tobago, Lewis said the Secretariat of the WICB as well as the vice-president Val Banks, who is now acting as president, will meet soon to decide on a date when nominations will be re-opened. The WICB were forced to postpone the election of their top executive recently after Chetram Singh, the lone nominee for the post, pulled out after questions were raised about his eligibility to attend International Cricket Council meetings because of his ties to gambling. Singh is a Guyanese licenced betting shop owner. “At this time nominations are not being sought and only when the Secretariat decide then we will give out the forms that are to be returned by those nominated,” said Lewis yesterday. “The Board will then set a date to stop nominations and will meet to select a president,” he said. “At this moment the directors are awaiting word from the Board as to when nominations will open up and we will move from there. The capable Val Banks is at the helm at this time and he is quite equipped to deal with the day to day affairs of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB),” Lewis said.

The Board were supposed to elect a president to replace Wes Hall two weeks ago at their annual general meeting in Roseau, Dominica. Two persons were in the race for the top job — Singh and Trinidadian Willie Rodriguez. Rodriguez, a former Test player was nominated by the Jamaican Cricket Association (JCA) but opted out of the race after the TTCB threw their support behind Singh, backing a decison of the executive of the WICB. The Guyanese official then emerged the automatic choice but a controversy concerning his ownership of a racing pool, forced the 53-year-old businessman to withdraw at the last moment. It was reported that Singh, as WICB president, would not be allowed to attend the International Cricket Council (ICC) meetings and could be banned from the dressing rooms or the players’ pavilion due to his links with betting.

Windies women crash to defeat

AMSTELVEEN: The West Indies crashed to 50 all out and a 28-run defeat in their opening match of the International Women’s Cricket Council (IWCC) Trophy competition on Monday.

Captain Stephanie Power top-scored with 12 as Ireland sped to an easy win in the match, which was put back three hours because a luggage strike at London’s Heathrow Airport delayed team arrival. Pakistan and the Netherlands were the other winners on day one. Batting first against the West Indies at the ACC Ground, Ireland scored 78 all out in 44 overs, with the West Indies conceding 22 extras, the highest contribution to the Irish total. St Lucian off-spinner Verena Felician was the most successful of the West Indian bowlers, taking two for 13 from nine overs. Debbie-Ann Lewis (1-9), Envis Williams (1-12), Doris Francis (1-16), and Felicia Cummings (1-18) shared four wickets. The West Indies never challenged the target in their reply, and faced only 24 overs for their total of 50. Barbara McDonald took four for 13 off eight overs for Ireland, and Catherine O’Neill four for 15 off six overs, for Ireland.

In other matches, Pakistan scored 181 for six, to defeat Japan (26) by 155 runs, and the Netherlands posted a handsome 226-run victory over Scotland. Paced by Pauline te Beest’s century (138), the Netherlands scored 300 for five off their 50 overs, and then restricted Scotland to 74 all out in 46 overs. The top two teams after the round robin phase will qualify for the Women’s World Cup to be held in South Africa in early 2005. The tournament continued yesterday with West Indies facing the Netherlands, Ireland against Japan, and Pakistan meeting Scotland.