Shillong, June 8: James K Sangma on Monday defended his position as president of the Meghalaya Cricket Association, stating that the law allows an MLA or MP to hold an executive role in a sports body, but not a minister.
Asked about his dual role while filing his Rajya Sabha nomination, Sangma said the matter was governed by clear legal provisions.
“The law is very clear on that. As MLA or MP, you can hold an executive position in a sports association but not as a minister or in government,” he said.
Sangma acknowledged that the MCA has been facing long-standing problems that slowed down its functioning, and said resolving them was his immediate priority.
“This is an internal matter of the MCA. Of course I don’t shy away from the fact that there are problems. These are problems that have been going on for a very long time — legacy issues — and because of those kinds of challenges and problems, certain processes have come to a stop. We expect to resolve those kinds of problems and issues at the earliest. I am very concerned about the staff, be it the support staff or office staff,” he said.
Since taking over as MCA president in January, Sangma said he moved quickly to fill key gaps in the association’s administration, including the post of ombudsman that had been vacant for two years.
“There has to be an internal committee. I took over as president in January, but I am very aware of the situation and the lacunae and the loopholes that are there in the MCA. For example, you cannot have an ombudsman for two years in the past, so the first thing I did as president was to fill up that post and bring in an ombudsman,” he said.
On pending issues related to the association’s internal committee, Sangma said the MCA was awaiting a report from the state women’s commission before taking further action.
“Similarly, the internal committee is something that we will take up. We are waiting for the report from the women’s commission, and as and when the report is out, we will take appropriate steps pertaining to the issues,” Sangma added.
He said restoring process and accountability in the association was the focus of his tenure as president.
