“They are allergic to democracy – AG on APNU, GCB endorsement brouhaha

In a war of words that has caught the attention of political and sporting arenas alike, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall launched a searing response to A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) condemnation of the Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) recent endorsement of President Irfaan Ali, branding the opposition as “alZlergic to democracy” and “full-blooded political dictators”.

“They are allergic to democracy. They are thoroughbred authoritarians. It comes to them naturally and instinctively,” Nandlall stated in a scorching social media post defending the GCB’s right to support a political candidate under Guyana’s Constitution.
The AG’s remarks came just hours after APNU issued their statement denouncing the GCB’s recent public support for President Ali’s second-term bid — a move the opposition claims undermines the neutrality of sports governance and could violate ICC regulations on political interference.
In its release, APNU described the GCB’s endorsement as “a sad day for cricket” and “outrageous”, raising concerns that the Board’s alignment with the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) could taint the integrity of player selection, financial governance, and international cricket relations.
“An alliance between the Board and President Ali will almost ensure that the latter will attempt to control this organisation,” the statement read.
APNU further decried what they say is the politicisation of cricket, highlighting a March 2025 meeting where GCB officials donned red shirts — the symbolic colour of the PPP — during a courtesy call on the president.
“None of the GCB members had the courage to take a principled stand,” the opposition lamented. “This breaks with more than 80 years of non-partisan cricket administration.”
Nandlall wasted no time firing back, arguing that the GCB’s support of President Ali is well within their constitutional rights and represents “the quintessence of democracy”.
“The Constitution of Guyana guarantees every person the freedom to associate with, belong to, and support any political party of their choice,” Nandlall said. “The members of the Guyana Cricket Board have chosen to exercise this right. For this, they are condemned? That is not democracy — that is dictatorship thinking.”
Meanwhile, the GCB has not retracted its endorsement. In fact, the Board reminded that it was the current administration who, under the leadership of President Irfaan Ali, worked with Cricket West Indies (CWI) to ensure that the Guyana Cricket Administration Act passed in 2014 was finally enforced – enabling democratic and transparent elections after years of stagnation.
“APNU sat in Government for five years and did nothing to resolve the crisis in cricket. Worse still, it was APNU’s own Minister of Sport who agreed to have the very Act – which APNU unanimously supported in Parliament – suspended before the Court, directly contributing to the instability that plagued cricket in Guyana,” the board related.
According to GCB, this is one of many policies instituted by the Government.
“President Ali also maintains an open-door policy to the cricket fraternity and is only a phone call away. This stands in stark contrast to the previous administration when, under then President David Granger – and despite numerous attempts – members of the cricket fraternity were able to secure only one meeting, which ultimately proved unproductive and served no useful purpose. All of these development programmes were glaringly absent during APNU’s tenure in office. In fact, under APNU’s watch, the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport was relegated to a minuscule department within the Ministry of Education – a clear reflection of how little priority they placed on sport and youth development,” the Board noted.
“Today, the GCB, with full support from the Government of Guyana, stands proud of its record. We have initiated academy programmes across the country to nurture talent at all levels. We are the current Regional Four-Day Champions and, for the first time, the Regional Women’s T20 Champions and Under-19 Women’s Champions. We have become a nation of champions in cricket, and this success belongs to every player, coach, administrator, and partner who have contributed to rebuilding and advancing the game. But more importantly, it came at a time when Government assistance was at its highest.” GCB went on to state.