Source: Daily Express
Cricket West Indies (CWI) has introduced term limits for the president and vice president as part of its governance reform efforts. However, former CWI directors Deryck Murray and Baldath Mahabir are not convinced that these changes will bring meaningful improvements on or off the field.
Last month, CWI’s shareholders officially approved what was described as a “historic set of governance reforms.” Among the key changes was the introduction of a term limit of three terms of three years each for the positions of president and vice president. Current CWI president Dr Kishore Shallow hailed the move as, “a bold and uncompromising step towards stronger, more transparent and accountable leadership.”
These changes will take effect from the upcoming CWI presidential and vice-presidential elections, scheduled for this month. As a result, Shallow and current vice-president Azim Bassarath could potentially remain in office for another nine years, having already served one two-year term before the changes.
The approved changes were based on the governance report prepared by a task force headed by Jamaican businessman Don Wehby, which also included Murray.
However, despite the changes adopted, Murray, a former West Indies wicketkeeper and president of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board, expressed doubts about their effectiveness during a recent radio interview in Jamaica. “I hate to say it, but to me, nothing has changed of substance,” he said. “Yes, there is a big focus on the fact that the term limits for the president and vice-president are now three terms each of three years. It makes me wonder if, in nine years, the West Indies cricket board will look any different.”
One recommendation not adopted by shareholders was the reduction of the size of the CWI board to “create a more efficient decision-making body.”
Mahabir shared similar concerns to Murray, arguing that term limits alone will not lead to significant progress. “While term limits are a good thing to introduce, that on its own is not going to change anything in West Indies cricket,” he remarked. “We have had presidents change in shorter times than what they have introduced now. Julien Hunte lasted two terms, Ken Gordon had one term, and it brought no meaningful changes to West Indies cricket.”
He continued: “So I don’t see putting term limits as making a significant difference. It means very little because you have not changed the culture of the organisation or anything that suggests there will be changes in the way we govern, make decisions, or improve the quality of the administration.”
Mahabir proposed a different approach to governance reform, advocating for a more structured and professional board composition. “I made a lot of comments on the Wehby Report, but the basis of it is that we should have six territorial board representatives on the West Indies board and five independent directors. The president and vice president should come from that structure. If the president is from the territorial boards, then the vice-president should be from the independent directors and vice-versa,” he explained.
He further criticised the current selection process for board members, arguing that political manoeuvring has weakened the organisation.
“What is being done now is that the membership of the boards has become a political play, and it is no longer about the competence of the individuals. It has made the organisation even weaker. Even when it was relatively strong, it was never able to keep pace with the rest of the world,” Mahabir added.