Cane farmers accuse minister of strong-arming their assoc.
The newly created Ministry of the Sugar Industry is facing its first major controversy, one which farmers in the north are saying could seriously affect the country’s number one foreign exchange earner. Patrick Jones reports.
The standoff in “Sugar City” surrounds an audit of the finances of the Belize Cane Farmers Association. Minister of the Sugar Industry Florencio Marin ordered the exercise based on what government press release says are reports of irregularities in the financial affairs of the association dating back to 1995. Chairman of the B.C.F.A. Arturo Marin says, however, that the minister was out of order.
Arturo Marin, Chairman, B.C.F.A.
“The B.C.F.A. strongly denounces the actions of the Minister of Sugar Industry in sending policemen to the association to illegally occupy the premises of the divisional committee on Wednesday, thirtieth September, 1998 and escorting the newly appointed secretary of the Belize Sugar Cane Board, together with the appointed auditor to examine the accounts of the Orange Walk and Corozal division committees of the B.C.F.A. for the year 97-98.
Such appointment is illegal since under the law, the association has three months from the close of the financial year to submit its accounts to examination by an auditor to be appointed by the minister at that time.”
Arturo Marin says that the association’s financial year ends on October thirty-first and that he has no intentions allowing an audit before that time. Attorney for the B.C.F.A. Dean Barrow explains that under the law, the association has three months from the close of the financial year to submit its accounts for examination by an auditor to be appointed by the minister.
Dean Barrow, Attorney, B.C.F.A.
“But they are trying to rely on some implied power that the minister has to satisfy himself as to the affairs of the association and they are saying that in that context he can then appoint an auditor at any time. Well that’s absolute nonsense. The powers of the minister with respect to the industry are very clearly circumscribed by the act, they are spelled out and they are circumscribed. The affairs of the association are to be run by the committee of management and by the divisional committees.”
But the review of the association’s finances is not the only bone of contention for the cane farmers.
Arturo Marin
“The management committee also strongly object to the ministers directive to delay elections to the branch council of the B.C.F.A. Again, under the law, the power to fix the dates for these elections rests with the branch councils and the divisional committees. The minister has purported to overrule them, again his action in so doing is contrary to the laws governing the B.C.F.A. and the B.S.C.B. Never in the history of the sugar industry, the directive measures from a minister has happened.”
Based on the advice of their lawyer, Marin says the association will proceed with the election of officers as scheduled, despite an order from Minister Marin to delay the poll until October twentieth. Attorney Barrow says he can only speculate that the reason for the minister’s intervention in the affairs of the association is purely political, a view that is also shared by the Chairman of the B.C.F.A.
Dean Barrow
“There obviously is a fairly sinister purpose to that that we can only guess at. The elections, as the chairman has explained, usually start right at the beginning of October. The minister has said delay those elections until the twenty-first of October, no doubt giving himself time to go to the House and to perhaps seek to change the law to interfere with the electoral roles. Now I have no proof of this, but that clearly is legitimate speculation.”
Arturo Marin
“We feel in this way that the minister has or is trying to move our rights, our rights to a fair election. So, this is why we need to voice our opinion.”
Edelfino Kay, Chairman, Orange Walk Branch
“And there is suspense in the air up north. People are very disappointed in what is happening. For instance many people come to my office; I attend hundreds of people every day at my office and you have people from all walks of life and they are fearful that something will happen and some are worried that their license will be cancelled because there is somebody else that will get the license.”
Marin told reporters at this morning’s press conference that ministerial interference in the affairs of the association can have serious implications for the upcoming cane season and hopes that the situation can be resolved amicably, before any real damage is caused to the country’s number one foreign exchange earner. Patrick Jones for News Five.
A release from the Ministry of the Sugar Industry says that on Wednesday, a representative of the accounting firm of Mark Hulse, visited the association’s office in Orange Walk to proceed with the audit ordered by Minister Marin. The release says that a police security detail was present. The auditor left the office empty handed, however, when Chairman of the Orange Walk division Edelfino Kay declined to make records of the division available. The ministry press release concludes by saying that the refusal of the association to allow access to the records has caused increased concern about the state of the association’s financial affairs.
