Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Dr. Kishore Shallow has emphasized that a special meeting scheduled for next month represents a critical opportunity for the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to present their views on governance reform.
However, Shallow has made it clear that the regional body intends to move forward with or without their input.
“This time, I can state with a measure of certitude that we are going to proceed and progress with governance reform at that special meeting,” Shallow said during an appearance on WESN TV last Friday.
The BCA and GCB’s absence from a December 6 meeting to vote on the Wehby Report—recommendations made by Jamaican business mogul Don Wehby—resulted in the meeting being adjourned due to a lack of quorum.
Despite this, Shallow remains committed to advancing the reform process.
“Governance reform has been on the table for well over two years, and we have had meetings with shareholders and other stakeholders. So, there have been opportunities to discuss this matter,” Shallow shared.
“However, this special meeting gives them another platform where they can come and present their case and convince the other shareholders to understand and appreciate their positions. I urge them—and I have done so directly, and now I want to urge them publicly—to come and attend the meeting and discuss the matters,” he added.
The BCA and GCB have called for discussions to review how the CWI president and vice-president are selected, including proposing a rotational policy for the presidency. But Shallow dismissed the idea as “nonsensical” and unlikely to reduce the “politics in cricket.”
“It (the rotation proposal) hasn’t been in any way processed properly and ventilated. In fact, when the suggestion was discussed at the Governance Committee level, it was rejected. And we discussed it also at the CWI level, and there too it was rejected, because there is no meaningful way of how this thing will work,” Shallow argued.
That said, he questioned the practicality of implementing such a system, particularly how a rotational presidency would function without introducing additional layers of political maneuvering.
“One of the excuses given for proposing this approach is to reduce the politics in cricket. How are you going to reduce it when, nationally, you are going to be electing a candidate to be president?” Shallow asked.
Using the BCA as an example, Shallow pointed out the politics inherent in recent elections where three members of the board, including the incumbent president, contested for the top position along with his vice-president and secretary.
“What politics are you trying to get around? And that is why I said it is an excuse,” he noted.
Still, Shallow reiterated his commitment to inclusivity and urged the BCA and GCB to seize the opportunity provided by next month’s meeting.
“The special meeting will provide the perfect platform for you to come and lay out your case... come to the meeting and discuss. One thing that is certain under my leadership is an inclusive approach. Everyone gets a voice and an opportunity to voice their opinion,” Shallow declared.