Students halt Guild elections

STUDENTS of the University of the West Indies (UWI) in St Augustine yesterday succeeded in having the annual elections of the Guild postponed from today to April 14. The postponement came after a noisy protest by concerned students outside the campus’ administration building during the annual campus council meeting. Dressed in red and armed with placards and beating tins and bottles, the students called on principal Dr Bhoe Tewarie to “go,” as they demanded a meeting to discuss several issues, including the election and allegations of financial impropriety by the outgoing executive. Dr Tewarie agreed to meet with seven representatives, saying he would not meet with a “mob.”

After the meeting, group spokesperson Clint Fernandez told Newsday it was agreed that the election be postponed and nominations be scrapped and reopened with a deadline date of April 8. Dr Tewarie has also agreed to have a special general meeting with students on April 12. Regarding allegations of overspending, bursar Lylla Bada will initiate proceedings to conduct an independent audit, while meeting with outgoing president Glenn Ramadharsingh, Guild secretary Fallon Lutchmansingh and treasurer Danny Maharaj, to discuss the $93,000 in outstanding payment vouchers. The three were signatories for the disbursement of the Guild’s funds.

However, Dr Tewarie was firm in his position to prevent the trio from contesting the elections, receiving full support from vice chancellor Prof Nigel Harris. Students were in agreement with the decisions reached, except for the latter. When he addressed reporters at a press conference after the annual campus council meeting, Dr Tewarie said that while the Guild was an independent body with its own constitution, it was his right to intercede when there was a problem. Dr Tewarie said that no money was missing, neither $1.8 million nor one dollar, but there was overspending on some projects and programmes. He said while he had no legal authority to institute the ban, it was a decision agreed to by consensus, and if “they can’t now keep their word it is a sad day.”

Tewarie said the situation relating to foreign travel by Guild members, which it is alleged totalled $75,000, to promote the recently held Hemispheric Summit of Students, was unnecessary, but he said he would only fault the Guild for “bad management, rather than the initiative.” He said he only found out days before the opening that Prime Minister Patrick Manning was scheduled to deliver the feature address, and if Ramadharsingh could get the PM to make such a commitment without the knowledge of the administration, it was embarrassing. Dr Tewarie said the role of the administration in the operations of the Guild has to be examined, but only in terms of its financial matters. In that regard, he said it was also agreed last week that an appointee of the bursary be assigned to the Guild.