Former interim committee chairman Sidath Wettimuny is hopeful that the proposal put forward by some of the interim committee members to change the Sri Lanka Cricket constitution would be implemented soon by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasinghe and Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera. “When I handed over a copy of the constitution proposal to the Prime Minister and to the Sports Minister they both accepted that there needs to be a change and showed a keenness for it,” said Wettimuny.
The Prime Minister and Sports Minister are expected to change the Sri Lanka Cricket constitution by an act of Parliament. A need for a change in the constitution after the elections was expressed by the Sports Minister and the newly elected Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala.
Elections were held on January 3 following eight months of cricket administration by a government appointed interim committee headed by Wettimuny. The former Sri Lanka Test opener said that changes to the SLC constitution has also been supported by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Explaining the need for a change in the constitution Wettimuny said, “In the last 15 years or so over eight of them have been run by interim committees. Something is radically wrong. We being the smallest country have a voter base of about 147 whereas the Indian Cricket Board has only about 46.” Recently the Justice Lodha committee recommended sweeping changes to the BCCI constitution.
“We should follow the example of the Indian Board. If the Indians can do it without having any interim committees we having eight in 15 years should be looking at it in earnest,” said Wettimuny. The proposed changes recommended by the interim committee are based on the South African and Irish Cricket Board constitutions and includes reducing the current voter base and the main strength being with the Premier and Emerging clubs.
An interesting component is for an elected and an appointed constituent of five members each with the elected component as president and the appointed as vice president. The appointed component would comprise all professionals. The proposal to the new constitution is all about having a lot more transparency and accountability.
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A NOTE: We can believe this only if and when it takes place. Some skepticism is required in this realm because of the many forces at work and the kusu kusu dimensions of Sri Lankan politics. Editor, Cricketique