Citrus is a hundred and twenty million dollar industry and when the growers association holds its annual general meeting it should be a celebration, to share up the dividends from the industry's $8 million in profits. But not. Instead, Saturday's 29th annual general meeting was another battle royale for control of the industry's present and future. Jules Vasquez visited the Stann Creek Valley to see the ruction and hear the reasons for it.
Jules Vasquez Reporting,
Over 150 citrus growers from all backgrounds came out to the CGA compound on the Stann Creek Valley Road on Saturday morning at 9:30. They came for two meetings, an annual general meeting in the morning, and a special general meeting in the afternoon. The morning meeting was chaired by Ernest Raymond, but it wouldn't be long before that devolved into discord, and eventually anarchy.
Denzil Jenkins, Board Member
"There are several instances where we have one person, one name but shown on this list in duplicate and sometimes triplicate, allowing them to vote twice or three times."
Legal Counsel Rodwell Williams made a ruling.
Rodwell Williams, Attorney CGA
"I will recommend and advise that this is not the stage or the time to seek to challenge or revise the official register. This is the register you are stuck with."
Denzil Jenkins, Board Member
"My legal counsel beside me advises me that it is right and proper to challenge now."
But there would be no challenge - the chair sided with his counsel.
Ernest Raymond, Chairman
"Based on what legal counsel is saying, we need to proceed. We need to proceed."
But the biggest - and loudest - grower under the tent - Eugene Zabaneh would not have it.
Eugene Zabaneh: A point of order Mr. Chairman.
Ernest Raymond: No, I won't accept another point of order.
Eugene Zabaneh: I can prove my point of order now, let the legal counsel talk.
Ernest Raymond: No, he has said his part.
Eugene Zabaneh: I have another legal point of order.
Ernest Raymond: You have the rest of the day. I will ask Mr. Eugene to please sit down and let us move forward and you raise your point of order on the items on the agenda as they come up. It cannot be before.
Eugene Zabaneh: I can prove my point of order now.
And the voice of reason Anthony Chanona advised the Chairman, saying he must take the point of order.
Anthony Chanona, Citrus Grower
"Under Robert's Rule, parliamentary procedures, if there is a point of order, Mr. Chairman you must take the point of order."
And with that Raymond agreed, sensing somehow that he was opening the door that would lead to the unraveling of his AGM. Zabaneh complained bitterly about the agenda listed on the green paper in his hand - which called for election of new officers before the business of the meeting.
Eugene Zabaneh,
"What we are doing is we are having elections of officers for this meeting, okay, when in fact we have not dealt with the meeting. And for you to change the committee of management before we have entered into "the discussion, the meat of this whole AGM is unconstitutional."
Zabaneh also complained that the financials were circulated late.
Eugene Zabaneh,
"We have just been given our package this morning. This is a total insult to us. Where it is, this meeting is late, number one; number two, again to just add insult to injury, they are now presenting us with all this material that is for discussion at this meeting this very morning and this agenda, this very morning -this is total trickery - do not be,isled by trickery - say no to this agenda here and let's adjourn this meeting."
And with that the stage was set for the adjournment of the annual general meeting - before it even really got started. Still, under the tent, Chanona moved the motion.
Anthony Chanona,
"I move a motion that the proceedings of the 39th annual general meeting be stopped and ask for a seconder."
Ernest Raymond,
"The motion of necessity may not be accepted and that we proceed with the meeting. We proceed with the meeting."
[Shouting erupts from the crowd]
With that even the peacemaker Chanona left tent and Raymond capitulated
Ernest Raymond,
"Can we vote on the motion that was presented, that the meeting be postponed?"
And by a show of pink ballots - when the count was taken, the there was overwhelming support for the motion - 97 to 53. With that the annual general meeting was adjourned one and a half hours after it started - with none of the business of the meeting settled. And though the meeting was done, Chanona wanted Zabaneh to settle some unfinished business.
Tony Chanona,
"I was told that you made a statement to a senior member of staff that there are now going to be new masters, new masters and so the staff better pay attention. This is not tribal warfare, Eugene, this is our reputation. So with that said, I want it clarified, please Eugene."
Eugene Zabenah,
"I have no apologies for what I said. I am saying that all those people who are aligning themselves with this corrupt deal with this mass giveaway of our patrimony of our industry, this industry that we've worked on for so many years, over seventy five years, to have some jimmy-come-lately, slickos who want to come and steal it away from us...and I will make no apologies for what I am saying."
Ernest Raymond,
"It is not to be understood or misconstrued that whatever I do is for a personal gain. It has reached a situation where the integrity, my integrity, is in question and I don't see why."
Eugene Zabaneh: [Trying to Talk.]
Ernest Raymond: There is no meeting right now…If I may continue…
Eugene Zabaneh: …you shouldn't even be here…it is not a meeting…how can you want to shut me up. What happened with you bwoy?
That eruptive back and forth would continue for the next half an hour or so.
Ernest Raymond,
"I have the soapbox now and it was interpreted….it was interpreted."
And when he just couldn't take it anymore Eugene Zabaneh got radical.
Ernest Raymond: The opponents of the agreement will try and influence you to say that this deal is corrupt, that I Ernest Raymond is corrupt…I just want to make this statement, that the intention is and what is being suggested, I Ernest Raymond is corrupt, Patrick Scott is corrupt…
Eugene Zabaneh: That is what you're saying…
Ernest Raymond: That is what I am saying you're saying.
Eugene Zabaneh: I will say who's corrupt out here…I will say who's corrupt.
And when he took the mic to say who is corrupt, Chairman Raymond told the sound lady - to kill the mic because the meeting was over - truth is it had been over for about half an hour before that. That caused some more ruckus and led Eugene's son Dr. Luis Zabaneh to take the soundboard over but he couldn't get it back working and they would have to wait until the next meeting.
But in the interim the heated conversations continued outside. It is a battle over control, personalities, and let's not forget an investment agreement that has been signed:
Dr. Henry Canton, CEO
"What you see here is some of my senior employees, my Chief Operations Officer, Chief Financial Officer being accused of all sorts of things on a public forum and it is not right, you do not do that. And Belize is no special country, your news tonight will be in the Caribbean and around the world and we need to understand that what we say sometimes we can't say it because we are in an international forum. Obviously there is a personal agenda, there's two sides and a line drawn, like kids grabbing for marbles and I don't want to be a part of that."
Eugene Zabaneh
"Everything is about Henry Canton here because this is the man who masterminded this whole so every thing is about Henry Canton here, it leads right now to Henry Canton "
Henry Canton,
"There's no rationale as to what's happening, it is a power struggle. Those that don't like Henry Canton and don't like what he has presented to the table basically want to take Henry Canton apart. If it is a Henry Canton issue for whatever reason then at that point in time I will have to make up my mind and my board will have to make up their mind on how we go forward. I don't need control, I think was brave enough to walk from government in a time when I was, I think I considered myself a senior Minister. for the same reasons. If there is not a direction and if there is not a plan, there's not a common goal, then how do you work - you can't swim against the current too long."
And Zabaneh says that current is going not only against Canton, but against the agreement he signed with Banks Holdings of Barbados.
Eugene Zabaneh,
"We have to rescind this agreement, Jules. This is a bad arrangement for this industry, for the growers. It is a giveaway and it is in perpetuity, this is life. So the first thing we have to deal with is to advise these so called investors that came, that in fact we will be sending back their monies, whatever monies they have paid, we will be sending it back to them and that we are not honoring this arrangement."
Rick Escalante agrees. He is a former chairman who was at the forefront of negotiations. He went to Trinidad to negotiate with Banks Holdings, and said he didn't like what he saw.
Rick Escalante, Former Chairman
"I said, 'look this is a bad deal, we're being taken advantage of.' I thought that I was very harsh with negotiations because to me you don't negotiate from weakness, you negotiate from strength. So whole he was giving in to a lot of things the people wanted, I was standing up and saying we can't do this. The owner of Blue Waters was saying that when they take over the company they will manage this way or that way and I told them to 'hold on because I thought you were buying minority.' And then the Chairman of Blue Waters said that 'I can't deal with no effing small farmers.'"
Jules Vasquez,
The agreement has been signed, amendments to it have been signed…
Rick Escalante,
"I tried to…."
Jules Vasquez,
Yeah you tried but you failed. It's been signed now and you all want to put it in a new management group, a committee at this special AGM but it's too late - the ink is dry.
Rick Escalante,
"It is never too late because we are taking legal advice right now that we signed this agreement even though the Committee of Five said that all conditions had not been met."
And that's the conviction that Escalante and Zabaneh took in the afternoon's special general meeting - where they were determined to unseat the present board of directors and install one that would review and hopefully revoke the agreement. But, under this tent, nothing comes easy and when the second meeting started at 2:00 in the afternoon, the feisty back and forth would resume. There was less serious confrontation, but still little consensus over the wording of the resolutions, procedure for balloting, and the reason for the special meeting.
Tony Zabaneh,
"I was here before all of you and you all look at me like I am a 'lil bwoy and I am not a not a 'lil bwoy. So don't be watching me, I am older than you. Understand what I say because I am not here for anyone to shove nothing down my throat."
Bill Tilett, Presiding Over SGM
"Mr. Zabaneh why did you walk up…"
Tony Zabaneh,
"All we want is representation."
With all the quibbling and hard talk, it took an hour an half before the vote on the first resolution started. That vote declared no confidence in 6 members of the board including chair Ernest Raymond. The next vote succeeded in moving those 6 members, and the third vote succeeded in installing 6 new board members. The last two items on the agenda were never voted on because night fell, and the meeting had to be adjourned: For Jenkins, Zabaneh and the new board, it was a decisive victory, but for others....
Henry Canton,
"It is going to be one of those, let's see, a lot of the times I find there is a lot of boohah, a lot of noise, and then later when it settles down, the same people that were creating the noise just wanted to be a part of what might be positive now, I am hoping. Investors won't come here, forget about what government is doing right and the mood that government has created, this is beyond government - this is private sector at its worst."
The private sector at its worst or democracy at its best - but whatever the case we know that whoever wins this war - will have earned it - because this, this is a tough crowd.
We should note that right after the new member Anthony Chanona was elected to the board, he resigned along with a remaining member Frank Redmond. The other members of the board are now in talks with them, asking them to reconsider.
Redmond and Chanona are protesting the wording of a resolution at the special AGM. The resolution was never passed, but it said that the new board must "set aside" the sale agreement. Redmond and Chanona want the resolution worded to say they must "review" that agreement.
