James Paul dealing with office matters with administrative assistant Camile Ashby
Unshackled, is how embattled Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society feels today.
Even though he’s glad to be back on the job at the Barbados Agricultural Society, he said the events of the past four weeks took a toll on him and his family.
“It has been tough on my family, on me, personally, emotionally. It has not been easy because it is not easy to go through what I’ve gone through without knowing exactly what is the reason for it.
“But I guess in organisations such as these, some might say it comes with the turf, but it is unfortunate. As I said the ordeal has not been easy. I know that there would be a huge amount of speculation as to the reasons why and I would prefer, in the interest of the organisation that I work for and in the interest of the general farming community, not to deal with any of those reasons why in any detail in any public manner.
“What I would say though, is that I think that the fact that I’ve been able to get through it tells me they’re still human beings out there who are prepared to at least respect the fact that persons making an honest effort, who is prepared to deal with truth and who is prepared to say ‘look, once you make an honest effort in your work, your life, and everything else’ that they are prepared to stand by you,” Paul said during an interview with a Barbados TODAY team this afternoon in his office.
He wants to assure the farming community that he does not harbour any bitterness “for the persons who are involved in whatever they did, they had their own reasons”.
“I told a friend and put it on my BB I feel unshackled. The sad thing is, there is a lot of work, and I think the minister (Haynesley Benn) said it on Saturday [at the BAS AGM]. There is a lot of work to be done in the farming sector,” Paul added.
Regarding taking legal action, the CEO said that although he had thought about it, he was not “thinking about it at this time”.
He also made the point that the BAS was not about him or any of the other employees who served there, and they all had a duty to recognise that and assist everyone involved in the sector.
The first part of his day was spent attending a meeting with staff after which the chief executive officer was catching up with the work that he missed during the time he was away.
“Having been out of the organisation for four weeks or so I’m now trying to catch up on what’s happening. The board has been supportive, at least the members of the board that were here this morning to ensure that everything went well.
“There are some pressing things that have to happen. Agrofest is just around the corner. We have to plan for that, and they’re also some projects that we have to engage in which have really, in some cases, come to a standstill and we have to get our feet back on the ground.
The most important thing is to put the BAS back in the position where it is actually serving the farmers’ needs and, right now, I’m just trying to assess where I am getting accustomed so that we can move again, but it does feel a bit strange at the end of the day,” Paul said.
“I would like to put the episode behind me. The further you can put it behind me the better. You also have to learn from what has happened and ensure that the organisation puts things in place that we avoid these kinds of incidents,” he added.
Paul also attended the BAS’ Annual General Meeting on Saturday which saw Carlyle Brathwaite taking over as BAS president, with Woodville Alleyne-Jones being the first vice president and Andrew Gill the second vice president, and he said that it did not really focus on crops and planning for the upcoming Christmas season but on the financial statement and “the usual things that happen at any annual general assembly”.
Members also voiced their concerns and stated the programmes, if any, they would like the BAS to implement.
“All in all, I think there was a good turnout of members. It shows really that the organisation is alive and well and that people are prepared to do what is necessary in order to ensure the continuance of the agricultural sector,” Paul added.
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