Yesterday we told you about a major development within the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association that had caused concern to its directors and membership. The issue on the table is that on January 27, the existing association was registered as a company limited by guarantees. But what was of major concern was the articles of association, article two specifically. Articles two explains that on the day the association was registered as a company, an interim committee of management takes over. This was received with grave concern by the directors because they got word that the five subscribers who petitioned the changed in organization status were planning to take over the administration of the BSCFA. When we spoke yesterday with BSCFA’s chairman Esequiel Cansino, he said they were investigating the matter. Today Cansino us told based on their investigation, the committee of management believes former chairman of the association Alfredo Fred Ortega is behind it. In a late evening interview, Ortega defended the accusations when he spoke with Love News.
ARTURO CANTUN
“Yesterday we told you about a major development within the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association that had caused concern to its directors and membership. The issue on the table is that on January 27, the existing association was registered as a company limited by guarantees. But what was of major concern was the articles of association, articles 2 specifically. Articles two explains that on the day the association was registered as a company an interim committee of management takes over. This was received with grave concern by the directors because they got word that the five subscribers who petitioned the changed in organization status were planning to take over the administration of the BSCFA. When we spoke yesterday we BSCFA’s chairman Esequiel Cansino, he said they were investigating the matter. Today Cansino told based on their investigation, the committee of management believes former chairman of the association Alfredo Fred Ortega is behind it. In a late evening interview, Ortega defended the accusations when he spoke with LOVE NEWS.”
ALFREDO ORTEGA
“There is no personal thing, no personal feeling into this situation. What I am looking for into this is that the association being a registered association under the laws of Belize which is the companies and corporate laws that clearly defines all the associations, all the different groups that have to be registered so that they can legally be a corporate body within the country of Belize.”
ARTURO CANTUN
“But Mr. Cansino is saying that this was done when the laws were amended. Automatically the association was recognized as an association and there was no need for anymore registration.”
ALFREDO ORTEGA
“The situation with this Arturo, when you go and you see the new act, the new act doesn’t have protection for the BSCFA itself as it was before. When the 2001 act was alive or going forward, it clearly within it has incorporated the association with all the terms and conditions and regulations that the association needs to work with, which that gives the legal authority to the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association within the Industry Act but when it changed within this new act that opened for new associations to come on board, it only opened that any association can be registered under the Sugar Industry Control Board and that demonstrates that there is an association that has the power to deliver cane within the sugar industry. But what I want to be very clear is that not only the BSCFA had to register itself because even Producers, even Progressive had to go through the same registration under the companies act and that is why we saw it necessary to really protect the assets and the benefit to the cane farmers or the farmers that remain within the Sugar Cane Farmers Association. That is why we made this move to register the association so that we can protect all the assets because there was word out there that there were certain ministers going around, trying to persuade members of the association to move away from the association and once they can kill the BSCFA they can make a move and sell all the assets of the BSCFA and based on those moves, we came on board and said we cannot stand here and see that our organization that has worked for many years come to an end and come to a fall without doing nothing. That is why we came and registered the association but it is not the people that signed becoming owners of the association, it remains as the BSCFA and you can see here in the certificate, the certificate clearly states that it is the Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association. There is no change of name; there is no change of anything in this regard. It is clearly stated The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association and based on that it was registered under the law and it is clearly stated under the companies act, The Belize Sugar Cane Farmers Association is now registered under the Belize Law.”
ARTURO CANTUN
“There is an issue when it comes to article 2, 3 and 4. Article 2 says that upon registration of the company, an interim agreement takes over the association. Can you explain that?”
ALFREDO ORTEGA
“Yes, what happened with this Arturo is, as you know whenever you register a company there is an interim group because for the first time the Association was registered under the companies act so there needs to be an interim group even if it might be the same Committee of Management that has been in existence but they would work interim until a general meeting is called on which this new agreement comes into force once the general assembly gives approval of this new agreement on which it also entails more power on to the general assembly on how they would want to structure the Committee of Management so this gives more power to the General Assembly to the membership to decide on who would be their leader, at least in the committee of management.”
ARTRURO CANTUN
“To settle the membership’s mind at this point, because all of this has confused them in a way, and as you are explaining this was never the intention what do you want to tell them?”
ALFREDO ORTEGA
“Well I would want to tell the members, the intention has never been to destroy the organization. The intention has always been to better off the association. I think our footsteps to look forward to is to have a vibrant organization, a businesslike organization, where we can give more service to the farmers, where we can give more serviceable opportunities to the farmers, where we can enter into other businesses that can cover more needs of the farmers. That is the main focus into this movement, It is not a movement to destroy the organization rather to strengthen the organization and it has a valid and legal stand within the country of Belize.”
ARTURO CANTUN
“Cansino told the media they have all intentions request for the cancellation of the registration of BSCFA as a company. He said the process has started with two of the subscribers resigning; they are Eledino Escarraga and Hernan Villas. Cansino expects the other members will follow and following this the committee of management plans to hold a general meeting with its members to decide what steps to take against the group of farmers behind this. WE WILL HAVE MORE IN OUR SUBSEQUENT NEWS REPORTS.”
Cansino told the media they have all intentions request for the cancellation of the registration of BSCFA as a company. He said the process has started with two of the subscribers resigning; they are Eledino Escarraga and Hernan Villas. Cansino expects the other members will follow and following this the committee of management plans to hold a general meeting with its members to decide what steps to take against the group of farmers behind this. We will continue to follow this story.
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