Ranjani spells out the status quo in sports elections
View(s):By Naushad Amit
The Director General for the Ministry of Sports, Ms Ranjani Jayakody, assured that elections of remaining sports governing bodies in Sri Lanka could be conducted before the deadline, which comes in a week.
She revealed this to the Sunday Times at a stage when election heat has reached a boiling point. “This is a serious concern.
It should be made clear that the constitutions and regulations of each governing body should be adhered to in accordance with the constitution of Sports Law implemented by the Ministry of Sports. These kinds of acts are not something new but have been in existence for many years.
The notable changes that took place with the new Sports Law are the extension of the tenure up to two years each, and the usage of secret ballots at elections. Until recently, sports bodies have acted independently or more or less of their own will. This became a hot topic after the Ministry of Sports took initiatives to put things in order. I suggest that it is this adoption that many high profile sports governing bodies are not finding it easy to adapt to. This is the main string behind all these dramas,” Jayakody said.
From the total of 52 sports governing bodies registered under the Ministry of Sports (MoS), some have already conducted their respective elections without much fanfare. But elections or annual general meetings of some well known bodies are yet to be conducted. Some organizations like Sri Lanka Cricket, the Sri Lanka Handball Federation, the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka and the Karate Federation to name a few, have become newsmakers with flaws and conflicts. Jayakody says that the MoS at present under Mahindananda Aluthgamage is strong and functioning well after so many years automatically making the conventional officials the culprits.
“We (MoS) are strong and going fine. That is one of the main reasons behind all these dramas. In the past elections have been held and there was no big scenes as this year. This year is more of special because things are falling into place and some do not like to digest it or they are not ready to get out of the box they used to be in. But everything is happening for their own benefit, whether they like it or not,” said Jayakody.
“Instructions were given to all sports governing bodies that each candidate should hand over nominations to the Director General personally.
Earlier nominations came through the respective secretaries; which could create a stage for vendettas. But the present implementations have put a clear end to personal feuds while focusing the development of the sport and its stakeholders. At the same time there are qualifications the candidates should have. If they are challenged by another individual or party the Minister of Sports has all the authority to conduct an inquiry and take necessary steps. Apart from the Minister, the Secretary of the Ministry and the Director General also have the power to act on certain irregularities.”
Among the elections, the much hyped one is of Sri Lanka Cricket after all three nominations of Thilanga Sumathipala, incumbent head Upali Dharmadasa and Sumith Perera, for the presidency were challenged by more than one party. The same race is on at the Athletics elections as well as race to the Handball office. The number of other nominations who were challenged is numerous. Jayakody who was certain that a repetition of the big number of petitions will not occur next year also made it a point to reveal the MoS is underway of introducing effective ways to curtail these kind of clashes.
“We are making effective ways to curtail all these disputes in the coming year. We are here to develop sports, not to reprimand people or shut the doors. We have been an active ministry so far and we are improving in the way we convey the importance of good governance to all sports bodies. It’s an accepted fact that we cannot expect or rate all 52 sports governing bodies in Sri Lanka at the same level. Some are highly active while some are semi-active. There are some who are totally inactive. The Minster is adamant that all bodies should be equally active despite the differences.”
But it has been a fashion in Sri Lanka in the recent past for some sports governing bodies to become the talking point during the months of February and March of each year. They become more active than they were during the rest of the year, just for a while until taking reigns at office. But soon after all these become a thing in the past until the coming year.
“This all depends on the individuals and the background of the relevant governing bodies. There are some bodies that are active and effective in what they do whereas some are living the entire year with conflicts. These are known and proven facts. However we believe that a sports governing body should be an independent entity. At the same time they should be transparent. But if it is observed that malpractice is taking place, the MoS must intervene and put things in order. It’s not practical to punish them or be harsh on them. The governing bodies should understand that they are here for a purpose, to serve the sport and the country, not to get into unnecessary conflicts,” she asserted.
In seven more days not only Jayakody, as the Director General of MoS, but the majority of Sri Lankans can see the decreasing tensions that prevail at present beyond the sports field. She restated the deadline which is March 31.
“Besides Sri Lanka Cricket, others will strictly have to meet the deadline. The SLC election was postponed till April 16 due to clear reasons. Any governing body that misses that deadline will automatically and formally become an interim body. That day will be the expiry date for any sports governing body in Sri Lanka.”
- Pic by Amila Gamage
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