CARICOM must be third umpire

Jermaine Lannaman, Guest Columnist

The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) needs to intervene if the ongoing impasse between the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) and the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) is to be resolved, and, by extension, to rescue the viability and relevance of the Windies brand.

The dispute, which has been going on for close to a decade, stems from the fact that WIPA, the representative body for West Indies players, does not recognise the WICB - which is primarily a collection of regional cricket association executives - as a quasi-government entity, which legally or constitutionally it is not.

Rather, WIPA views the WICB, which is currently being led by Dr Julian Hunte, as a private company which is archaic in its ownership structure, and still represents the paradigm of the colonial West Indies in which the owners are the plantation masters, and the workers, or players, are effectively the slaves.

What WIPA wants - and if President and CEO Dinanath Ramnarine has his way seems likely to get - is a change of this ownership structure to that of a partnership, which, based on the union's utterances in the past, would better reflect the contribution of players, which, from WIPA's point of view, represents the WICB's main product and asset, and primary source of income.

It could be argued that to some, WIPA's position is apt, given the trends of globalisation and professional sports in which capitalism and its survival-of-the-fittest ideal rule the roost, and the aim for any worker should be to maximise his or her earning potential based on skills.

But others, including regional governments, which, since the end of the Crown colony era have accepted the WICB-West Indies model of development for the sport and the people, would disagree with WIPA's take.

For these individuals, their response is grounded in the pride and joy that the West Indies have brought, and, some would argue, continue to bring to the region. Also, they shun the prospect of individual countries fielding teams on the international stage because the start-up handicaps of time and money might militate against their competitiveness and success.

The proponents of this theory would also argue that though it may be dead, the WICB-West Indies model is a sentimental reminder of what can be achieved when the region is united, or operates with a one-for-all, all-for-one socialist model.

Given these realities, it is, therefore, imperative that CARICOM, which is currently chaired by Grenadian Prime Minister Tillman Thomas, and in the absence of the failed West Indies Federation represents the overarching views of various regional heads of government, intervene and attempt to solve the various problems affecting the relationship between the WICB and WIPA.

Front and centre of this intervention should be a maturing of the relationship between the WICB and WIPA, whereby the former recognises WIPA as the sole, legal representative of West Indies players, and that in WIPA trying to advance the livelihood of the players, the board should try to meet them halfway in their demands.

WIPA, on the other hand, needs to recognise the primary duty and responsibility of the WICB, and that given the reality of economies of scale and limited resources, the union ought to be reasonable in its demands.

CARICOM's intervention, in the meantime, needs to begin with the bringing together of the WICB and WIPA on a regular basis until common ground is found; the drafting of a mutually agreed code of conduct as it relates to disputes; and if necessary, the crafting of a new memorandum of understanding (MOU).

Despite an MOU being in effect since 2009, as per a recommendation from the much-publicised 2008 WICB-commissioned P.J. Patterson-led Governance Committee report, it seems to lack the power and influence to improve the relationship.

Should either party then fail to abide by these measures, among others, CARICOM should attempt to instal an interim or caretaker management body to overhaul the governance structure of the regional game.

If CARICOM does not intervene, and does not try to implement the above-mentioned measures, the following is likely to happen.

The deadlock between the WICB and WIPA will never cease to continue, and as is the case right now, the people of the region will continue to suffer the indignity of not seeing star players such as Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo or Kieron Pollard, who, like most of the players already in the team, want to maximise their earning potential by playing in lucrative cricket leagues around the world. Constantly leaving out our best players cannot be in cricket's best interests.

If this is allowed to take place, it will then result in an escalation of the spiralling decline in performances of the West Indies team, whose players, over time, may become more frustrated and insular. Rather than playing for regional and national pride, they would do so merely to catch the attention of international cricket clubs such as India's Chennai Super Kings, England's Hampshire Hawks or Australia's Queensland Bulls in a bid to land a big contract, especially in the Twenty20 format of the game.

All of this, meanwhile, would be to the detriment of cricket fans across the region, who the WICB/West Indies should be working and playing for, and who will forever be left disappointed and disillusioned, given the fact that one of, if not, their main source of regional and national pride and joy, would have lost its lustre.

This would then result in the WICB/West Indies team further losing appeal, relevance and significance. As was the case when Jamaica voted no in a referendum for the West Indies Federation in 1961, the cricket dilemma would force regional governments to decide whether they want to remain a member of the WICB, and advance the cause of a West Indies model, or take the tough decision of applying directly to the International Cricket Council for membership, and go it on their own.

Jermaine Lannaman is a sports journalist and high-school cricket coach. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and jermaine.lannaman@gleanerjm.com.