The tournament, however, and in particular, the Jamaican leg of it, did not do as well as projected, so the insolvent company cannot repay. It is almost inevitable, despite the complaints and squeals of a handful of member of Parliament, that the Government will absorb the debt.
But that is not the only charge to the Jamaican Government for agreeing to be one of the hosts of the tournament. It cost over US$60 million to upgrade Sabina Park in Kingston to be one of the match venues, and to construct the multi-purpose stadium in Trelawny to host the opening ceremony. Millions more were spent on other projects related to the Cricket World Cup.
Jamaica's experience, however, was not singular. Other Caribbean governments spent heavily so that the tournament could be played in the region. Guyana, Antigua and Barbados, for example, either built or rebuilt cricket stadia. Major upgrading took place elsewhere.
Governments, though, are not amorphous or ephemeral entities, with responsibility or accountability to no one. The resources they allocated to the World Cup, and the enhancement of cricket generally, belong to the taxpayers of their countries, and might have been spent on the provision of others services.
heavily invested
We make these observations to make a larger point: that the organisation and management of cricket is, and can be, no private affair. The West Indian people are too heavily invested in the game, emotionally and economically, for what happens in West Indies cricket to be the private affair of players and administrators. It is the business of the people in a way that they can demand of no other sport.
Which is why we believe that the strike by the senior players who walked out of the Test match between the West Indies and Bangladesh in St Vincent is no mere dispute between the West Indies Players Association and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB); it is a humiliating act of disrespect by the players of the West Indian people. And it is why I believe that an overhaul of the organisational structure and the management systems of the WICB is a matter of urgency. This restructuring must recognise the people's stake in the game and its place as a regional institution.
The new WICB, in that regard, might be configured as a limited liability, public company one-third owned each by CARICOM, territorial boards and private shareholders, whose equity would trade on regional markets and who would have the right to elect directors. The company would be so structured so as to allow for voting by mail and proxy ballot in order to prevent the entrenchment of vested interests.
But most critical, this new WICB must be transparent in all its activities, particularly in the deals its signs with sponsors and the terms under which it engages players. Such information cannot be allowed to dribble out only when WIPA's strongman, Mr Ramnarine, wants to hold the game hostage, which is how we interpret current events.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner. To respond to a Gleaner editorial, email us: editor@gleanerjm.com or fax: 922-6223. Responses should be no longer than 400 words. Not all responses will be published.