ACCA is well known for censorship of the magazine and using its huge financial resources to silence alternative voices. Such policies have been brought to the attention of the Department of Trade and Industry.
The DTI have asked ACCA to explain its unilateral censorship of the election statement issued by 2000 council election candidate Professor Prem Sikka (Click Here for previous exchange). ACCA, despite boasting its own web site and urging its members to use IT, claims that council election candidates (unlike local, general, national elections) cannot mention web site addresses in their election statements. The intention is as always to stifle debate. The requirements for the 2000 council elections were officially announced in the ACCA magazine and made no mention of any prohibition on the use of web sites in election addresses (Click here).
All election candidates received an official package telling them of the rules and none made any mention of the alleged prohibition (click here to see the contents of the package).
Without ever providing any evidence, ACCA have told the DTI that the alleged prohibition on the mention of web sites in council election statements has existed since 1997. ACCA's claims have been challenged by Professor Sikka. As the correspondence below shows, ACCA chief executive has been unable to provide any evidence to show that the alleged policy existed. the conclusion is obvious: ACCA officials manufacture policies as go along. Further evidence of all that is wrong at ACCA.
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5 December 2000
Dear Mrs. Rose,
I understand that you have informed the DTI that the policy of not permitting web site addresses in election statements has been in place 1997. This is an odd statement and is not supported by any evidence.
As you know, I have stood for ACCA Council elections on a number of
occasions. The first that I was informed of the alleged policy was in February
2000, well after the deadline for submitting papers for the 2000 elections.
I would be very grateful for a copy of any public statement (e.g. statement
in the in-house magazine, press release) issued during 1997, 1998 or 1999
which stated that candidates for council elections are not permitted to
mention web site addresses in their election statements. I have carefully
checked my files for the period 1997-1999 and can find no letter from any
ACCA official informing me (as an election candidate) of the alleged policy,
which now appears to have been manufactured. If you have any such letter
on your files I would be very grateful for a copy.
Yours sincerely
Prem Sikka
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REPLY FROM ACCA
Ref: Fr012an.020
11 December 2000
Dear Professor Sikka
I refer to your letter of 5 December 2000.
ACCA’s policy of not permitting website addresses in election statements has been in place since 1997. A candidate in the International Assembly elections of that year sought to include reference to a website; our legal advice was that it would be inappropriate to allow this. The election statement which you submitted was the first instance of a candidate in the Council elections seeking to make reference to a website.
Your nomination papers for the 2000 elections were received just before the deadline for nominations. You were informed as soon as possible (in a letter dated 7 February) that the references to you website would not be included. You were given ample opportunity to amend the statement before the election material was despatched to members. Our advice to potential candidates for future Council elections will make it clear that references to websites in election statements will not be permitted.
Yours sincerely
Anthea L Rose (Mrs)
Chief Executive
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Mrs. Anthea Rose
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
29 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London WC2A 3EE 14 December 2000
Dear Mrs. Rose,
Council Elections
Thank you for your reply of 11th December.
Despite numerous requests, ACCA officials have been unable to provide any evidence (e.g. press release, statement in the magazine, letter to any council election candidate) to show that for the period 1997 to 1999 any policies prohibiting the mention of web site addresses in council election statements existed. My letter of 5th December again asked for evidence and you have been unable to provide any. If the policy that you claim was “in place since 1997”, why did you not publicly state it?
For the 2000 elections, you did not publish any policy statement stating that the mention of web site addresses in council election statements is prohibited. Despite requests, ACCA officials could not provide a copy of any council minute, dated before the 2000 deadline for submitting election papers, stating that mention of web sites addresses in council election statements in prohibited. The copy that Mr. Sleigh eventually provided was dated after the deadline for the 2000 elections. In the absence of any hard evidence, it is evident that the policy was manufactured after seeing my council election statement.
My statement for the 2000 council election was entirely in accordance with the statements published by the Association prior to the deadline for those elections. If you dispute this then please provide evidence. Please note that I did not give any authority to any ACCA official to change my election statement. The responsibility and the shame for making unauthorised alterations to election statements remains with ACCA officials.
I am forwarding the correspondence to the DTI and groups concerned with human rights.
Yours sincerely
Prem Sikka
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REPLY FROM ACCA
Ref:fr012ec.011
15 December 2000
Dear Professor Sikka
Council Elections
I refer to your fax of 14 December 2000.
I have nothing to add to previous correspondence on this subject except to state categorically that the policy prohibiting references to websites in election addresses was not introduced as a result of the election statement you submitted in February 2000.
Yours sincerely
Anthea L Rose (Mrs)
Chief Executive
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Mrs. Anthea Rose
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
29 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London WC2A 3EE 19 December 2000
Dear Mrs. Rose,
Council Elections
Thank you for your reply of 15th December.
As it is customary to support assertions with hard evidence, may I once again invite you to provide evidence showing that the policy prohibiting the mention of web site addresses in election statements existed before February 2000. The evidence supporting your assertion can be:
If the policy existed, as you claim, then why are you unwilling to provide the relevant evidence? Your consistent failure to provide any evidence merely confirms that the policy has been manufactured.
Yours sincerely
Prem Sikka
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REPLY FROM ACCA
Our Ref: fr012cj.011
21 December 2000
Dear Professor Sikka
Council Elections
Your letter of 19 December refers. I attach copies of George Thomas’s election address in the 1997 International Assembly elections, as submitted to ACCA and as circulated to members in the U.S. You will see that the final sentence about the website was deleted before publication.
I have made ACCA’s position on this matter very clear and have no more to add to our previous letters to you on the subject. I do not, therefore, intend to continue this correspondence.
Yours sincerely
Anthea L Rose (Mrs)
Chief Executive
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AABA does not know whether ACCA obtained George Thomas's permission
to make any revelations to Professor Sikka, but ACCA chief executive the
follwing two statements to Professor Sikka.
Version 1
US members face a unique set of challenges with regard to professional and educational recognition. Although, under the common umbrella of the AICAPA, CPA certification is regulated relatively independently at the State level. Similar issues face MBA candidates. I first ran into these issues in the early 1980s and formed the American branch with a view to addressing this and other concerns in a collective manner.
Through our efforts London has taken a more active role in the challenges our memebrs face. With London, we are making headway, although most is behind the scenes. Devolution and the role of the Interntional Assembly should therefore be of great interest.
As past president, committee member of the branch and one not in practice, I share the concerns of US members. We need professional and educational recognition and continued support from London. I believe I understand the issues unique to the US and will provide effective representation for our members if elected. My profile on the web is at http://www.abacca.com/profgxt1.htm.
Version 2
US members face a unique set of challenges with regard to professional and educational recognition. Although, under the common umbrella of the AICAPA, CPA certification is regulated relatively independently at the State level. Similar issues face MBA candidates. I first ran into these issues in the early 1980s and formed the American branch with a view to addressing this and other concerns in a collective manner.
Through our efforts London has taken a more active role in the challenges our memebrs face. With London, we are making headway, although most is behind the scenes. Devolution and the role of the Interntional Assembly should therefore be of great interest.
As past president, committee member of the branch and one not in practice,
I share the concerns of US members. We need professional and educational
recognition and continued support from London. I believe I understand the
issues unique to the US and will provide effective representation for our
members if elected.
=============================
Mrs. Anthea Rose
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants
29 Lincoln’s Inn Fields
London WC2A 3EE 17 January 2001
Dear Mrs. Rose,
Council Elections
Thank you for your letter of 21st December. Despite repeated requests you have been unable to provide a single shred of evidence to show that ACCA had a policy of not permitting any mention of web site addresses in election addresses.
For something to count as an official election policy,
The statement in the magazine for the 2000 elections, approved by senior officials, made no mention of the alleged prohibition. No ACCA official ever wrote to me before the deadline for submitting the 2000 election papers, stating that the alleged prohibition existed. None have been able to provide a sight of any council minute issued before the deadline 2000 deadline, showing that the alleged prohibition existed. I have also been in touch with some of 2000 council election candidates and none were told of the alleged prohibition.
The continuing failure to provide any hard evidence merely confirms that the alleged prohibition on the mention of web site addresses in election statements was manufactured and now being legitimised to save the skins of the officials.
Please only reply if you are able to support your assertions with any hard publicly available evidence.
Yours sincerely
Prem Sikka
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REPLY FROM ACCA
Our Ref: fr101.cv.011
17 January 2001
Dear Mr. Sikka
Your letter of 17 January refers. Your comments are noted.
Yours sincerely
Anthea L Rose (Mrs.)
Chief Executive