And certainly the government is not prepared to see American Sugar Refinery close its doors. After clarifying ASR’s position, the PM did the same with his. The Sugar Industry Control Board will not step in at the request of farmers. He’s clear that will not happen. And the PM is also clear, in his mind, that the option of seeking an Order of Mandamus to force the hand of the SICB is foolhardy. He says that the attorney who has gone to court to seek an Order of Mandamus is misleading the farmers.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“They neglect to tell the public that there is already in existence a Supreme Court order declaring certain portions of the Sugar Industry Act unconstitutional and directing government to amend the law to bring it into conformity with the constitution. How the lawyers representing the radicals will move the court for an order under an Act that is unconstitutional defeats me…and one of the reasons the Act was found unconstitutional is precisely because it only recognizes the B.S.C.F.A. as the sole representative of cane farmers, the sole organization apart from the miller to be involved with the SICB in taking actions such as fixing the period for the annual crop. The amendments mandated by the Court include the removal of the B.S.C.F.A. as sole grower representative and substituting therefore any and all organizations such as the United Cane Farmers Association which brought the challenge to the Act in the first place, and the Corozal Sugar Cane Producers’ Association. In these circumstances it seems to be foolishness on top of foolishness, nonsense placed upon stilts, for these people to argue that they will get the court to aid their illegal bid to pressure the SICB.”
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