• Latest
The Importance Of Making A Proper Will

Act One, Scene One: Joint Leadership in the Bar Association?

6 years ago
Claims of coronavirus at SGU designed to create fear and panic

Covid-19 update: Grenada Dashboard 23 January

10 hours ago
Grand Etang route disruption

Grand Etang route disruption

11 hours ago
Early Intervention is the best hope for reducing child abuse

A crisis of sexual assault and rape among people in Grenada

1 day ago
GHTA Expresses Concern Over the 2017 Budget

Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association elects its new board

2 days ago
Grand Bacolet to Munich Road nearing Completion

Temporary closure: Cherry Hill Road, Carriacou

2 days ago
MPower 2.0 continues despite Covid-19 setback

Grenadian student benefits from Republic Bank Scholarship programme

2 days ago
Vacancy: Plant Engineer

Vacancy: Marketing Manager

2 days ago
Vacancy: Plant Engineer

Vacancy: Plant Engineer

2 days ago
Drug bust in Soubise and Belvedere

Drug bust in Soubise and Belvedere

2 days ago
Claims of coronavirus at SGU designed to create fear and panic

Covid-19 update: Grenada Dashboard 21 January

2 days ago
Jean Augustine and Canada’s Black History Month

Jean Augustine and Canada’s Black History Month

2 days ago
GFA delegation attends FIFA and CONCACAF Congress in France

GFA appoints new Senior Men’s National Team Head Coach

2 days ago
NOW Grenada

Main Header Ad 468x60

booked.net
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
NOW Grenada
No Result
View All Result

Article Header

Act One, Scene One: Joint Leadership in the Bar Association?

This story was posted 6 years ago
26 May 2015
in OPINION/COMMENTARY
4 min. read
Sir Lawrence A Joseph
Share

By Dr Lawrence A. Joseph

Well-renowned film director and producer, Steve Mc Queen, of Grenadian descent would have had a field day in Grenada on 21 May last. After all, amongst his many other awards, he won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2013 for the movie “12 Years a Slave”. The scene in Grenada was the Number 1 High Court on the afternoon of the 21 May 2015 where the Grenada Bar Association was having its Annual General Meeting (AGM). It was “Lights! Cameras! Action!” and the alligator-like jaws of the black and white striped clapper board clapped. “Take one!”

Members of the Bar came trickling into the room from 4 pm and eventually there were well over thirty members present. The time for the elections of officers came and there were two nominations for the post of President: incumbent President Ruggles Ferguson and former President, James Bristol. The voting ensued and lo and behold, each candidate received 18 votes: a consequence of “ambush electioneering”. It was a tie. A dilemma therefore raised its ugly head for which no one had an answer. One strange thing about the fiasco was the fact that at an AGM of lawyers when elections are scheduled to take place, there was not even a copy of the bye-laws available in the room to give guidance as to what should be done in such a situation! This gives credence to the sayings that shoemakers often do not wear good shoes and that often lawyers die without making their own wills.

The meeting was totally unprepared for this dilemma. The returning officer was in a quandary. She was like a rabbit amongst a pack of groveling wolves and was totally flabbergasted. She was no lawyer but just a public officer from the registry who substituted for the Registrar. She really had my sympathies. A returning officer in any elections has a most important role to play. That person is responsible for declaring all positions vacant before inviting nominations; for receiving nominations for the various offices; for verifying and counting the votes where there is more than one nomination; and for declaring the winners of the various positions. A returning officer is like a Supervisor of Elections in the conduct of the national polls and has tremendous authority. The then returning officer was stuck at the stage of counting the votes and was unable to declare a winner.

The dilemma was tossed about by members for a considerable period of time and a female member came up with what she thought was a brilliant idea: “Let’s have joint leadership!” No one moved or said a word. I could hear the phantom director saying “Cut! You have to say that with more gusto!” And the clapper board clapped. “Take two!” The lady reiterated: “Yes let’s have joint leadership. Let us show the politicians how to make it work.” It was then that I realized that the lady was serious. She may not be a politician but she seemingly has knowledge of political maneuverings.

But how could she have been serious when from my recollection the bye-laws did not provide for that anomaly? The bye-laws catered for a President and a Vice President; and not joint presidents. Moreover, besides being unconstitutional, it was not practical. Suppose, and just suppose that one of the joint presidents is overly meticulous and the other is a loose cannon? Suppose, and just suppose that one is a strong supporter of the Caribbean Court of Justice and the other is not?  In the circumstances it would be reasonable to conclude that the seeds of chaos would have been sown if these contrasting characteristics existed in joint leaders of the Bar. Who would take responsibility for making pronouncements on behalf of the Bar?

I reminisced on the past decision of the Central Committee sometime after the Coup d’etat in Grenada on 13 March 1979. The Committee took the decision to have joint leadership between Prime Minister Maurice Bishop and 1 Bernard Coard. Many on the outside believed that the reason for this decision was that Bishop was the popular leader, who was full of charm, charisma and dynamic oratory. He was “the people’s man”. There was the general belief that Coard was brusque but he possessed the necessary organizational skills to ground what they considered to be “the revolution”. The thought was that with the combination of these two personalities the revolutionary movement would be further consolidated. This was not to be as the joint leadership proposal turned out to be the root cause of the demise of the People’s Revolutionary Government in October 1983. Seemingly Bishop reneged from an earlier decision to go along with the joint leadership decision and all hell broke loose.

Luckily good sense prevailed at the Bar meeting. The joint leadership proposal was certainly a recipe for disaster. No one else except the initiator of the proposal felt a need to be quixotic. The decision was ultimately taken to adjourn the meeting until another day. The phantom director then instructed: “Cut! Prepare for Act One Scene Two: ‘The Bar Triumphs’!”

NOW Grenada is not responsible for the opinions, statements or media content presented by contributors. In case of abuse, click here to report.

Tags: agmbar associationcourtelectionlawrence josephleadershippoliticsSteve Mc Queen
Next Post
NLA Donates Almost EC$1.7 Million

NLA Donates Almost EC$1.7 Million

Comment on story Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Home Sidebar NP 300x250

© NOW Grenada. All Rights Reserved. Published by Aqua Design Inc. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

© NOW Grenada. All Rights Reserved
Published by Aqua Design Inc.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

No Result
View All Result
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. Visit our Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.

NOW Grenada
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Visit our Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.