We refer to the news item which appeared in the Sport Page of The Island on the 18th December 2013 bearing the heading “I do what the Minister says – Jayantha”.
The statement attributed by you to the President of Sri Lanka Cricket is inaccurate. At a meeting of the Executive Committee held on the 6th of December, the President, after consulting some of the senior members of the Executive Committee, nominated three names to fill the vacancies that had arisen in the Executive Committee. In so nominating, consideration was given to the previous involvement of the nominees to cricket as well as their commitment to the sport.
In the case of Mr. Asanga Seneviratne, consideration was given to the fact that he was the previous Vice President. He had also indicated his commitment to the sport by seeking re-election, and though not elected, had obtained a significant number of votes. The other nominees for the vacancies too were nominated after careful consideration. The President, prior to formally proposing such nominations to the Executive Committee, had appraised the Honourable Minister of Sports of his proposed nominations, which nominations also received the concurrence of the Honourable Minister. It was this fact that was conveyed to the members at the aforesaid Executive Committee meeting. All members of the Executive Committee with the exception of a single member agreed to the proposition brought forward by the President.
Sports Editor’s Note:
For the last several years, we had observed and reported how elections of Sri Lanka Cricket weren’t free and fair. There’s enough evidence to suggest that there were interferences with cricket elections. Things took a turn to the worse this year when even the election of a club wasn’t spared.
It’s not just the media that cries foul. Star batsman Kumar Sangakkara, who is an SLC contracted player, a few months ago, shed light into the mechanism of SLC elections when he called a prominent member of the board, ‘the appointed Secretary of SLC’.
We are in possession of an audio clip in which SLC President Jayantha Dharmadasa claims that Minister of Sports Mahindananda Aluthgamage had told him and Secretary of SLC Nishantha Ranatunga to bring in Asanga Seneviratne to the vacant position of Vice-President of the board.
