Damion Mitchell, Radio News Coordinator
Christopher Dehring (right), chief executive officer, International Cricket Council, Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007, speaks at yesterday's Gleaner Editors' Forum. From left are Patrick Wong, chief executive officer, Kingston City Centre Improvement Company, and Robert Bryan, executive director, Local Organising Committee. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer
Officials of the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 are expressing concern that seven Caribbean countries slated to host the event are yet to pass laws to facilitate its staging.
The laws referred to as the Sunset Legislation must be passed by November 1, according
to guidelines of the International Cricket Council (ICC).
But, speaking yesterday at a Gleaner Editors' Forum, Chief Executive Officer of the ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies, Chris Dehring, said of the nine host countries, only Barbados and St. Kitts have passed the legislation.
And, he said it is critical that regional countries meet the November 1 deadline to pass the Sunset laws, as the consequences would be severe.
Playing politics
"If they play politics with this one, we could end up losing the games and all that investment that people have made," he warned. "Simply nobody will take the chance; the ICC can't afford the liability that they would be exposed to."
Mr. Dehring also said the absence of the Sunset Legislation has been affecting the ability of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) to implement certain preparation activities for the sporting event.
More than two weeks ago the legislation was tabled in Gordon House. However, deliberations on the bill are yet to begin.
In the meantime, there are concerns that the proposed legislation could cause significant dislocations of some businesses in proximity to Sabina Park, in Kingston, where seven matches will be played.
One section of the act provides for the police commissioner to close a road for such period as he thinks fit and for any purpose with little or no notice.
The Act also restricts the sale of items within the precincts of match venues, which some Corporate Area businesses near the match venue say could affect them.
But Executive Director of the LOC, Robert Bryan, said that efforts are being made to work out specific solutions to the concerns raised by businesses.
"We are now working to demystify the issues related to Sunset legislation," he said during yesterday's forum, noting that a comprehensive advertising campaign will help to reinforce this.
And Mr. Dehring said that a team of officials from the International Cricket Council will be visiting host countries next month to inspect the stadiums to be used for the 2007 matches. He said that if the inspection reveals under-preparedness, the tournament would be moved to South Africa.
What is the Sunset Legislation?
Sunset Legislation is the term used to describe legislation added to the statute books for a fixed period of time.
The Legislation will address:
- An anti-infringement programme by declaring that certain unauthorised promotional activities referring to the event could be illegal.
- The rights of the host countries.
- Travel and customs requirements for visitors moving between host countries.
