… Gonsalves slams Shallow’s political moves while still CWI head

St Vincent and the Grenadines prime minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves, has once again taken aim at Cricket West Indies president, Dr Kishore Shallow, for his decision to enter elective Vincentian politics while still at the helm of the regional governing body for the sport.

 

Likening CWI to regional institutions like the University of the West Indies, CARICOM and the Caribbean Development Bank, Gonsalves said it was unprecedented to have the head of a regional “uniting force” run for office in a territory which formed part of the organisation.

 

St Vincent and the Grenadines is a constituent of the Windward Islands Cricket Board, which is one of the six Full Members of CWI.

 

“I begin from the proposition that West Indies cricket is a uniting force for our region like the University of West Indies, like CARICOM, like the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States, like the Caribbean Development Bank,” Gonsalves said, while speaking on Starcom Radio’s popular cricket call-in programme Mason and Guest on Tuesday.

 

“I don’t expect the Vice-Chancellor of the University of the West Indies or the Secretary-General of CARICOM, or the president of the Caribbean Development Bank, or the Director-General of the OECS to be involved in competitive politics in any of the member states whilst holding one or the other of these unifying offices.
I thought that when Dr Shallow took his interest in getting involved competitively in Vincentian politics – and we are going to have elections some time before the end of this year – that he would’ve indicated that he would demit the office of Cricket West Indies.

 

“I don’t think we’ve ever had anyone as president of Cricket West Indies who has ever been involved in active, competitive politics.”

 

Shallow, elected CWI president two years ago after serving two successive terms as vice-president under Ricky Skerritt – a former tourism minister in St Kitts and Nevis – announced recently he would contest the upcoming general elections for the opposition New Democratic Party.

 

Gonsalves, the leader of the Unity Labour Party, will be seeking a sixth consecutive term in office, having assumed the office of prime minister in 2001. He is already the country’s longest serving prime minister since independence.

 

An outspoken figure on matters surrounding West Indies cricket, Gonsalves said Shallow’s involvement in elective politics in his current CWI role should have been guided by “basic respect” and “basic decency”.

 

“Julian Hunte was once leader of the St Lucia Labour Party but by the time he took up the job as president of Cricket West Indies, he had already finished his distinguished career as a politician in St Lucia,” Gonsalves pointed out.

 

“He had, for instance, held the office of the Permanent Representative to the United Nations for St Lucia and had become president of the General Assembly of that august body, the United Nations.

 

“And if anyone, hitherto – and I say I have no recollection – as president of Cricket West Indies while being in active campaign for political office for one of the territories, that would’ve been a mistake. And it’s not for me to say to him what he must do but I’m expressing my view very strongly, and I believe from the reactions I have received from across the region, most people agree with me.

 

“Cricket West Indies is a unifying matter and there are many things which will arise which would jeopardise the person being president of Cricket West Indies and being involved in competitive politics in one of the various territories.

 

“It is not something which has to be written down in law or in regulations, it’s just basic commonsense. In fact [it’s] basic respect for people of the region – it’s basic decency. That’s my own view and I hold that view very strongly.”

 

CWI communications consultant, Jamal Slocombe, defended Shallow’s position, pointing out there was nothing in the organisation’s articles of incorporation that prevented him from engaging in elective politics.

 

He also contended that unlike the top positions at the regional institutions identified by Gonsalves, the role of CWI president was “equivalent to that of chairman.”

 

“So there’s no conflict of interest that really exists there,” Slocombe said.

 

Gonsalves also criticised Shallow’s decision in a radio interview in St Vincent last weekend.

(BT)