Sikka fights on after barrage of abuse
Dissident ACCA member Prem Sikka has been subjected to a vicious hate campaign in the run-up to an extraordinary general meeting in two weeks’ time.
Sikka, accounting professor at Essex University, has suffered abusive phone calls at home and work from anonymous callers over the past three months since he announced his intention to hold another egm. The personal attacks have been aimed solely at Sikka.
Sikka, who called on members to ‘strengthen and democratise’ the association, has vowed that he will fight on with his campaign despite the abuse.
He said: ‘It’s despicable that people have felt it necessary to do this.
I’ve had to call in the police as a result of this hate campaign.
‘It has disrupted my home life with threatening and abusive phone calls at all hours.’
Controversial demands put up by Sikka for the Lincoln’s Inn Fields egm include the election of a member as chief executive plus salary and contract approval, direct elections for the association’s vice-president, abolishing the proxy voting system and prenumbering ballot papers.
Other measures called for include a sustained annual promotional campaign to promote ACCA, shifting agms from Thursday to Saturday to allow greater attendance, and disclosing travel costs for officers’ spouses.
Two additional motions – one to halve the chief executive’s salary and another for officers to repay their spouses’ travelling costs – have been put forward, although they are not supported by Sikka or Robins.
More than 400 members attended an egm organised by Sikka last year. Over 33% of members backed a proposal to directly elect ACCA’s president. A motion needs two-thirds support to be adopted.
