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| Sunday, 22 January 2006 |
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Straight Talk by Lal Gunesekera Elections to SLC MUST be held Despite President Mahinda Rajapakse's assurance that elections to all (repeat, all) Interim Committees governing sports must be held, the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Jeevan Kumaratunga, seems reluctant for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to conduct their annual general meeting before March 31. Minister Kumaratunga has now appointed a three-member panel comprising S. Wirithamulla (Secretary to the Ministry), Milton Amarasinghe (Director-General of the Ministry) and Saman Amarasinghe (Chairman of the National Sports Council who is also the Minister's Private Secretary) to recommend whether SLC's annual general meeting should be held or give an extension to the Interim Committee. I understand that one member of this three-member panel had told the Minister to conduct the annual general meeting of SLC, but the Minister had told this person to "Leave it for me to decide". The Minister does not seem to heed advice from his advisers. It was the same where the previous National Sports Council (NSC) was concerned. Why is Minister Kumaratunga hesitant to conduct the annual general meeting to SLC in a democratic manner? Since he dissolved SLC and appointed an Interim Committee in March last year (2005), the national team's performances in both Test and One-Day arena has been disastrous, except for a win here and there. There is also disunity among the players, particularly after Chaminda Vaas replaced Mahela Jayawardene as the Vice-Captain half-way during the ODI series with India when the latter had returned to Colombo to tie the 'nuptial knot'. In these circumstances, there is absolutely no point at all in Minister Kumaratunga continuing with the Interim Committee, whose only excuse to continue seems to be in their "construction" activities. If the Interim Committee is not in a position to raise the level of our national side's performance, the committee must quit and leave it in the hands of those who have played the game to administer this sport and bring it upto international standards again. This is where President Rajapakse must step in and see that the annual general meeting of SLC is held before March 31. I would also like to pose another question to Minister Kumaratunga. What on earth has happened to the report about the alleged financial mismanagement by SLC? A Chartered Accountant was appointed to make his observations, but now 10 months have passed since this report was handed over to the Ministry authorities, but no one seems to know what the report contained. Isn't it obvious that the allegations of financial mismanagement could not be proved, otherwise this report would have been made public. I also understand that 14 affiliates of SLC have written to President Rajapakse about two weeks back, requesting him to instruct Minister Kumaratunga to go ahead with the holding of the annual general meeting to SLC before March 31 and I am certain that fair-play will prevail in the end. How funny ? Sanath Jayasuriya dislocated his shoulder again during the One-Day series in New Zealand and was not included in the Sri Lanka side for the Tri-Nation tournament now in progress in Australia. A doctor at Apollo Hospital gave him the green light, he had to face a fitness test and left to join the team in Australia last Thursday with Akalanka Ganegama. What was the fitness test all about ? He had injured his shoulder, but was asked to do some sprints !! Also, news filtering down from Australia say that the team management did not request for Jayasuriya, but for a replacement for the injured Farveez Maharoof, but the Interim Committee of SLC decided to send Jayasuriya too with Maharoof's replacement. SLC has now to meet all expenses for Jayasuriya. Chief selector Lalith Kaluperuma too is in Australia on a "private visit" and says that he does not know anything about Jayasuriya and Ganegama going to Australia. Decision have been taken by co-selector K. M. Nelson. The others are Don Anurasiri Snabir Asgerelly. Now it's a movie Remember Mumbai's bar dancer Tarannum Khan alias Tannu? She was involved in betting on cricket matches and arrested in September together with two bookies (Pradeep Parmar and Milind Dhiraj Nandu alias DJ) under the Gambling and IT Acts of the Indian Penal Code. They were granted bail in November. Now comes the news that Bollywood starlet Preeti Jain, who was accused of hiring a hitman to kill Director, Madhur Bhandarkar, is to play the lead role of Tannu in a movie titled "Deepa Ki Tarannum" produced by Ranjeet Sharma. Aamir Khan's younger brother, Hyder Ali Khan, will make his movie debut opposite Preeti Jain. It is to be 'shot' in Mumbai and also Delhi and Dubai. Plenty of protests Parents of school children who were present at the BMICH two weeks ago at a ceremony to present scholarships to athletes were heard protesting about a young lass, scantilly dressed who performed a dance item on stage, with a male partner. True, there were much older athletes and adults among the audience, but this sort of dance item should never have been held in the presence of school children. Prime Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake deputised for President Mahinda Rajapakse at this ceremony, and left just before this dance item. I wonder what he would have had to say if only he witnessed it. Even the announcer had the audacity to request those in the audience to join in a "dance" after the young couple left the stage. Minsters Jeevan Kumaratunga and Sripathi Sooriyaaratchi too were in the audience, and so was the Secretary of the Youth Affairs and Sports Ministry S. Wirithamulla. Who was responsible for permitting this type of dance item in front of school children? No accreditation The accreditation forms for the Junior (under-19) World Cup had to reach the International Cricket Council (ICC) on December 10 last year (2005). But strangely enough, the Sunday Observer were not sent these forms by SLC's Media Unit. Only when one of our staff reporters made inquiries, was he given one set of accreditation forms on January 4 and was told to hand it over immediately to SLC. However, when my forms were handed over to SLC on January 6, it was not accepted, but rejected. Who was responsible for not sending the accreditation forms to Sunday Observer in time? Is it because of the Sunday Observer through my column exposes the hanky-panky doings of SLC? Possessing guns, ammunition A Fijian rugby player who turned out for CH & FC as a centre three-quarter during the 2004 season was arrested under the Firearms Act with a local at the residence of a multi-millionaire businessman recently. A 9 mm pistol, parts of another pistol and 197 bullets were found from the ceiling of a bathroom. The two arrested persons have been remanded till January 20. The Fijian involved was earlier involved in raping a tourist at a resort down the southern coast and this case is yet pending. His passport too was impounded. I understand that attempts are being made to hush up inquiries, as the businessman involved has ties with top-notchers in the Police Department and also VIP's. This particular young millionaire was also involved in "fights" at certain night clubs in city hotels too. Staff meeting at SNSCA The controversial Director of the Sugathadasa National Sports Complex Authority (SNSCA) Cmdr (rtd) H. U. Silva, had hurriedly summoned a staff meeting on the morning of the day Gamini Netticumara was re-appointed the Chairman of the SNSCA, to discuss the payment of bonus to its employees for 2005. However, what was discussed was the full co-operation of SNSCA employees to the National Olympic Committee (NOC) to stage the South Asian Games in August. Cmdr Silva is the Secretary of the NOC. However, the new Chairman came in the afternoon to resume duties, and promised the employees that the bonus will be paid to them with approval from the Board of Management. Most surprising of all was to see Cmdr Silva speaking highly of Netticumara at the welcoming ceremony. During the period that Netticumara had relinquished his post at the SNSCA soon after the Presidential elections in November last year (2005). It was managed by Cmdr Silva. During this one month period, the porch of the Stadium Hotel was damaged by a brand new lorry belonging to a business establishment next door that make use of the SNSCA for a parking lot. The damages are estimated to be around Rs. 1 1/2 to Rs. 2 lakhs. Who is going to pay for the damages and why didn't Cmdr Silva ask this business establishment to pay for it? Susanthika's niece Olympic Games bronze medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe has taken her niece Shamila Chaturangani under her wing and is training her to get qualified to run in the 200 metres in view of the South Asian Games to be held in Sri Lanka in August. Jayasinghe says that her niece has potential and wants her (Shamila Chaturangani) to be among the best three for the short distance relay too. Jayasinghe, in the meantime, is ready to leave for the USA at any moment to be trained by Tony Campbell and says that she will think of quitting only after seeing her performances this season. Racquet Who are the three badminton players who left the island saying that they were to play in the Italian Open? I understand that a certain person has issued letters to the Italian Embassy to this effect to help these players obtain their entry visas. These three players were not going to play any badminton in Italy, but
obtain employment. How much of money changed hands is the question for this
illegal act? Is the hierarchy of the Sri Lanka Badminton Association (SLBA)
aware of this? |
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