Cane Farmers reps boycott meeting

Issue No: 833; 8 June 2001

 
Representatives of the sugar cane farmers who won the Sugar Cane Growers Council election held last month are boycotting the first meeting of the Sugar Cane Growers Council meeting scheduled for today.

The election was won by the National Farmers Union. The Union received 21 seats while the opponents received 16 seats and an independent candidate won 1 seat. The regime, however, appointed 8 other councillors who belonged to the defeated farmers group thereby frustrating the mandate of the winning team. The Union has filed a legal challenge to the appointments.

Meeting yesterday, the Union Councillors decided to stay away from the meeting. Without these councillors, the meeting will not have a quorum. It could also not pass the council's new budget.

The reasons stated by the councillors for not attending the meeting are:
· failure on the part of the Council to give due notice of the meeting as required under the Standing Orders;
· late distribution of council meeting papers, including the budget and other financial documents; many councillors received these documents only two days before the meeting;
· rejection by the Council of motions filed by some councillors for the meeting;
· participation in the meeting of persons nominated to the Council unlawfully and unjustly by the Qarase regime; and
· the pending finalisation of the results of 4 seats which are being investigated by the Sugar Industry Tribunal.

The Union has appealed the decision of the returning officers in 4 of the 38 sectors. It is confident of winning the appeals in all these sectors.

Meanwhile past councillors have revealed that the current Chief Executive Officer of the Council, Jagarnath Sami, exceeded his powers in granting a contract of rice supply to a businesshouse. Allegations of kickbacks have also been made.

Sami has responded to the claims by saying that the meeting notices were distributed on time, and that the papers were also sent on time. The Councillors refute this.

 

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