Sidath says there should be a complete revamp of the SLC Constitution
Sri Lanka Cricket’s Interim Committee chairman Sidath Wettimuny is of the view that unless there is a change in the constitution of the SLC, the game and the governance of this sport will continue to deteriorate. Speaking to the Sunday Times yesterday, the former national cricketer and administrator Wettimuny said “If we are to save the game in Sri Lanka, I am convinced that there should be a complete revamp of the constitution of Sri Lanka cricket.”
Sidath Wettimuny
Besides that Wettimuny also said “When drawing up a new constitution I feel that top priority should be given to accountability and transparency. In addition a more sensible voting system should also be incorporated. He said for instance a club which plays top cricket and contributes immensely to the improvement of the game and some club which pays only lip service for the betterment of the game get two votes each. I think this a ridiculous situation.
“In Sri Lanka there are 147 votes among 86 stakeholders which is unwieldy. In huge India there are only 46 votes to decide the fate of the game in that country”. Meanwhile Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera while making a statement during the second reading of the budget also made a statement on similar lines. The minister said “We must study the governing systems of cricket in other countries and develop a system that is suited for this country and I hope to take a closer look at it after the new SLC committee is chosen on January 3, next year”
The minister also said that there should be a better system in evaluating the participating clubs and it should be made on a yearly basis, besides there should be more systems and controls while distributing monies among member clubs. Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera also pointed out that the SLC should have more permanent staff. At present there were 229 contract workers and only 22 permanent employees.
It was also pointed out that even though Rs. 15 million was spent to put together the Haroon Lorgat report, nothing was done about it. He said that they intended to put those recommendations into operation while also intending action about the inaction on the Somerset breach of contract.