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| Sunday, 3 April 2005 |
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Straight talk by Lal Gunesekera Minister Jeewan vs Thilanga in Hulftsdorp War drums were beaten and the war (as expected) has started at Hulftsdorp (the legal hub of Colombo) between the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) after the former suspended the latter. Whoever triumphs in the end is immaterial, as it's the game of cricket in Sri Lanka that could suffer and its reputation built over the years. The international community may also treat us like pariahs as they would like to deal with elected bodies and not those interim committees appointed by governments. There are four countries playing Test cricket in Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh). In Pakistan, it has been the habit of its President to appoint whoever he pleases to head its Cricket Board. Not so in India and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka too were the same, but since the mid 1990s came the suspensions/dissolutions by Ministers of Sports and now it has happened for the fourth occasion. The earlier Interim Committees were headed by Rienzie Wijetilleke, Hemaka Amarasuriya and Vijaya Malalasekera, and now, it's the turn of Jayantha Dharmadasa, the elder brother of Upali, who headed the Sri Lanka Cricket Board earlier. Dharmadasa of Nawaloka fame, also continues to head the National Film Corporation. Was the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Jeewan Kumaranatunga, misled by some disgruntled elements when he decided on March 24 to suspend SLC for financial mismanagement to the tune of Rs. 321 million and for not getting his approval before SLC sent Thilanga Sumathipala to attend meetings of the ICC/ACC in Dubai, Pakistan and India. The former President of SLC, Mohan de Silva, admitted that they (the SLC) were guilty of only not getting Minister Kumaranatunga's approval before sending Sumathipala to attend meetings of ICC/ACC. SLC Treasurer, Nuski Mohamed, who was in the Sri Lanka Cricket Board even during the time of the late Gamini Dissanayake (a former Minister of Mahaweli in the J. R. Jayewardene regime), confirmed that the Auditor General, S. C. Mayadunna, himself had endorsed the accounts of SLC for the year ending 31st December, 2004 by SJMS Associates, Chartered Accountants, and that there was no "mismanagement" of funds for Minister Kumaranatunga to take such a drastic step like suspending SLC. The deficit of Rs. 321 million that Minister Kumaranatunga talks about is purely due to the poor decision taken by the Malalasekera Interim Committee when it called off the TV deal with WSG Nimbus. The ICC/ACC has due to the legal action taken by WSG Nimbus, withheld payments due to SLC from the 2003 World Cup and Asia Cup. So there is no such thing as "mismanagement", says Mohamed. Sumathipala who seems to be the villain says that SLC have secured Rs. 600 million for the next four years and are preparing to win the 2007 World Cup in West Indies and even co-host the 2011 World Cup. He is a man with a vision and mission. No one can doubt this fact. He is a person who can get "things" done. SLC went ahead with its annual general meeting last Sunday (March 27) despite its suspension on March 24 with Sumathipala being elected President uncontested to head SLC for the fifth occasion. Minister Kumaranatunga has called it illegal, Sumathipala "closed" SLC headquarters's and Police complaints lodged by the parties concerned. Now, the Hulftsdorp war has started and it's interesting to see what transpires. Sure there are court cases pending against Sumathipala but what one must remember is that a person is innocent till he is proved guilty by a court of law. Till that judgement is delivered, he is a free man. Warne's latest escapade Test cricket's most successful wicket-taker, the controversial Shane Warne of Australia, is again in the news. Now, he is alleged to have sent a "text message" to a woman when touring New Zealand recently. He was earlier in the news in 1995 when he and Mark Waugh were fined after being found guilty of involvement with an Indian bookmaker. Five years (2000) later whilst representing Hampshire in the English County Championship, Warne, was alleged to have left "dirty messages" on the answerphone of a nurse whom he had accosted at a night club. Warne had then had an affair with a South African woman. He was suspended for one year for taking a banned drug before the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and even accused of having another affair with a Melbourne stripper and fled with his wife to Spain to save his marriage. Thank God, Sri Lanka, does not have a cricketer like Warne in the national side - not to my knowledge at least. Colombage shines Danushka Colombage who played for S. Thomas', Mount Lavinia this season, and who won the Best Batsman and Man of the Match awards at the Mustang Trophy game with Royal, is a very talented guy who should be watched closely by the selectors. He also won the Man of the Match award for the Old Thomians when in England in their 21st annual game with Old Royalists for the Amarasekera Trophy at Dulwich, London too, after an unbeaten 45. Six million in two months News has reached me that the previous administration of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union (SLRFU) under Mohan Balasuriya had disbursed Rs. 6 million from January up to its annual general meeting on February 26. At the last Council meeting with Balasuriya in the chair, he had said that the "money has not been touched, its there". Now, the new Council under Priyantha Ekanayake, has requested its Treasurer, Shantha Kurumbalapitiya, who was there during the Balasuriya administration too, to submit the detailed statement regarding these monies. Meanwhile, I understand that the new officials of SLRFU had met their
main sponsor, Caltex, and held discussions. Caltex had said that they were
disturbed with the way the tournaments were conducted last season, but will
not only continue with their sponsorship (it ends this year) but will
increase its deal and even help with the telecast of games. |
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