AABA has learnt that an inner cabal is to table a motion of 'no confidence' in the President-elect Ray Gardiner. This motion is to be the subject of discussion and vote of an emergency Council meeting on the morning of Thursday, 6th May. The inner cabal is confident of victory.

The normal procedure is that the Vice-President becomes the Deputy-President and the Deputy becomes the President at a Council meeting held immediately after the AGM. The 1999 AGM is to be held on 6th May. The emergency meeting is to be take place before the AGM.

From a source inside the ACCA, AABA understands that the motion of  'no confidence' is to be moved by an 'inner cabal' consisting of the present and past presidents. These include David Bishop, Peter Langard, David Lennard, Kenneth Duncan and Michael Foulds. The Council will meet closed doors. AABA has been informed that 'significant' people within the council had become concerned at Ray Gardiner's plans to bring the Association closer to its members by making it more open, democratic and accountable. He also had proposals to curb the powers of the chief executive and reduce the influence of the 'freemasons' who control the council and use the 'proxy votes' to ensure that their friends and cronies are elected (meaning appointed) to Council. ACCA mmebers have not been told that masonic lodges regularly use the ACCA

For daring to modernize the Association, Ray Gardiner is being pushed out.

Prior to the breaking of the news by AABA, ACCA officials had planned to quietly execute their 'coup' and then announce to the world that Ray Gardiner has stepped down because of 'poor health'. However, now this course is not open to them.