THE issues surrounding the Association of Local Government Association of Jamaica’s (ALGAJ) annual general meeting (AGM) resurfaced at the monthly sitting of Clarendon Municipal Corporation on Thursday, with tempers reaching fever pitch as councillors traded barbs regarding details in a report that was tabled.

Following the report from the president of ALGAJ Winston Maragh, (Jamaica Labour Party, Rocky Point Division), obviously upset People’s National Party (PNP) councillors expressed their dissatisfaction as they argued that it was inadequate.

“I realise that the outgoing president of ALGA has chosen to report on what suits him. He mentioned that the general meeting fell into disrepute but he is not going to state what caused that. What caused that was the fact that for seven years, ALGA had no AGM [annual general meeting]. This AGM that was called recently, he only came prepared with one financial report and we were objecting to the fact that they wanted to adopt and accept one report and leave out the other six or seven. That is what we were objecting to” explained Councillor Carlton Bailey (PNP, Milk River Division).

“The membership on that side are not interested in knowing the reality that was happening in our union, they are only focused on who had the majority. We were saying present to us the six other audited reports so that we can have a fulsome discussion on it. It makes no sense people a pay money to an organisation and you can’t tell them how the money a go. The councils pay money to the organisation, so nobody is to know, and if we start say thief now people say we wicked.

“So, Chairman, I don’t even know if I want to accept that report, because that report does not state the real meat of the matter. In my mind the outgoing president is the person who caused that meeting to fall into chaos” added Bailey.

In his response, Maragh said the previous years’ reports were taken at the executive meetings.

“That was explained to one of the candidates that was vying for president and our general secretary would have explained all of that stating that last year’s report was what was being tabled in the folders, but we do have all the reports and I can put them in the Clarendon councillors WhatsApp group for the benefit of those who want to see the report,” said Maragh.

“I’m really taken aback by some news reports that say the candidate for president having issues about next time around using EOJ [Electoral Office of Jamaica] and not SDC [Social Development Commission] because they don’t have the capacity [to conduct the elections] when he was the same one who one week before called me to say use SDC,” added Maragh in a n obvious reference to Councillor Scean Barnswell (PNP, Hayes Division) who is a contender for the job of president of ALGAJ.

In an immediate response Barnswell urged the chairman of the corporation, Mayor Joel Williams, to intervene and caution Maragh.

“Chairman! Tell the member to sit and stop spreading propaganda. I don’t know where that come from. I’m not a member of the ALGA executive,” declared Barnswell.

But Maragh would not be silenced: “You [Barnswell] were the one who come beg me to use the SDC.”

That comment did not sit well with Barnswell who repeatedly shouted, “Don’t say that, Winston. You are a liar! You are a liar!”

Barnswell also demanded to be told the new date for the ALGAJ annual general meeting after it was adjourned in chaos on January 31.

In response Maragh stated that the executive of the association will meet at the end of February to decide on a new meeting date.

This was no comfort to the PNP’s Bailey who charge that, “After such a débâcle you are taking one month to meet to decide on another date. This shows that ALGAJ is not regarded by the outgoing president.”

The long-awaited AGM of the body ended abruptly with the police called in to ease tensions after a disruption over the agenda and how the meeting was to proceed.