By Special Correspondent.
As scheduled, the Annual General Body Meeting of Gulf Goans Hotels Company was held at Hotel Mandovi, Panjim, on Saturday 27th of this month at 10.30 AM.
It was a very chaotic meeting from the start itself when the ageing chairman Justine Fernandes from Saligao failed to control the proceeding because he is crippled physically and also crippled vocally. Cannot walk freely and cannot talk freely and yet shamelessly sticking to the chairman’s chair. The way he was seen at the dais it looked he lost his sanity.
When there was a chorus in the House for the resignation of chairman, like a typical Saligao Fox he handed over the Mike to Alex Wilson Coelho and escaped from his seat. Was it right on his part to hand over his responsibility to Coelho when he is present? If he is unable to deliver the goods then why he accepted the chairman post? There was no proper person even to take down the minutes of the meeting.
It was a very pitiable scene to watch the directors seated at the dais arguing and fighting – not fist fight – like Cats and Dogs, shouting and howling abuses at one another at the top of their voices. This showed that there was no unity in the Board and it was proved to be in total disarray. The Board looked to be devided into two factions, one faction owing allegiance to Alex Wilson Coelho and both the factions without any shame and decorum were accusing each other of lies, cheating and robbery. It was a scene where you saw people without caliber fitting to be the Directors. They have lowered the dignity of the term “Director”.
The meeting erroneously ended without completing the Agenda and election for the Board members was conducted fraudulently allowing the Proxy votes even much after the end of the meeting officially. Proxy votes of over 35,000 were disqualified on technical grounds as per the acting chairman but how and on what ground was not properly explained and by which legal authority. It looked it was done purposely by the acting chairman to lower the upper hand gained by the opponents of his faction. The chairman and also the acting chairman Mr. Coelho totally failed to maintain the required discipline and system and procedure. The election was a total farce, the meeting was a total joke. According to the information to create unruly situation in the hall even some Bouncers were brought but fortunately no untoward incident occurred. The whole meeting was contestable.
The election results are not declared yet since counting of votes will be completed on Monday as it was too late last night to complete this job. The question now comes: Were the Ballot Boxes sealed officially and kept in safe place where there is no room for tampering? Since there are two mastermind crooks around to grab the company affairs, everything is possible.
More news will follow.