The draft of a new constitution for Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been handed over to the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Sunil Kumara Gamage, SLC Transformation Committee chairman Eran Wickramaratne told the media at the monthly press conference held at the SLC headquarters yesterday.
“We have finished our work (drafting of the constitution) and handed it over to the subject minister. This is not an easy task, drawing up the constitution, because it involves talking to several people of different diversity. There are a lot of views expressed. We have to look at them and take what is best for cricket to have a clean constitution,” said Wickramaratne.
“There is the ICC constitution to be considered and on the other hand, the laws of the respective countries have also to be adhered to. Till the constitution is gazetted suggestions can be incorporated. We have been in constant discussions with the ICC who want this done in the least possible time and elections held as early as possible. With the constitution coming virtually to a closure now our focus will turn more into management and finance.”
“We have briefed the ICC from the start of what we plan to do, that we are going to bring the constitution through a legislative Government (which is the Parliament). The constitution has to be acceptable to them as well as us,” Wickramaratne said.
“When we bring it, the window is open for a couple of weeks by law for any citizen to go to court and challenge it. After that, there will be a debate in parliament and the adoption. After that we want to leave it in the hands of the stakeholders to take it forward. If you are bringing a piece of legislation into Parliament there are only two routes, one is you can give it to the Government and they can bring it and the other is, it has to be a private members bill. We are giving it to the Government.”
“Our main focus was on governance, but we certainly need to focus on financial issues as well. Our whole objective is putting the systems right. To save every single rupee for the schoolboys and schoolgirls of this country to develop their cricket.”
Sidath Wettimuny, member of the Transformation Committee described the present constitution as a far better one than that prepared when he was chairman of the interim committee in 2015.
“Unfortunately due to the change of Government at that time it was never passed in Parliament. But I am glad it happened because the constitution we have prepared now, if it comes through, can help our cricket to reach dizzy heights. We have prepared it after studying the constitutions of other top cricket playing nations. The talent is there in the country. What we need is a stable system free of politics.”
Giving a few insights to some of the changes the constitution has undergone Wettimuny said that the voting system has changed with two votes being given to clubs playing cricket in Tier A, and one vote to clubs playing in Tier B. He also stated that there will be transparency and accountability and that there will be a committee of people who are elected as well as appointed.
Amidst the conference Wickramaratne also revealed that the Transformation Committee had received the auditor general’s report of the last financial year.
Giving a retrospection of the report Wickramaratne said: “The AG’s report has raised a lot of issues. On differ taxation a fair sum of money Rs. 1.3 billion, other payables, financial liabilities, transaction related entities, conflicts of interests in board or in management, a detailed account of grants that have been made to associations and clubs, list of debtors etc. The finance committee will first go into it and try to furnish the answers.”
Giving insight to the Transformation Committee’s meeting with President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Wickramaratne stated: “There is nothing that is secretive, we made it absolutely clear that the Transformation Committee is independent of any political interference which is being upheld by us as well as the Government. It’s not only the President, we have been meeting all the stakeholders, some of them who have held office at SLC previously and others who are political leaders of the country. We gave the President an update of what our thinking was on the cricket side and on the governing side. We said that we have drafted the new constitution and we are going to hand it to them.”
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