April 7 was a rigorous Black Saturday for 11 newly elected members of the Board of Directors of MIMUFESCAP. No one suspected there would be an overflow of fooling and joking around.
The meeting started without the usual prayer presumably because Jesus died and was still in the bosom of the earth. So my first reaction was to watch out and look around for the devil. The agenda was two fold. The first was the discussion of matters of importance to the outgoing officers and the second was the holding of the election where the 11 would be voting for themselves for a post.
The Meeting
After the hymn, the president and presiding officer made the introduction and uttered a word that was heard for the first time in a board meeting the word DE FACTO (I misheard it as impacto). Obviously it meant the board of directors who have not taken their oaths may attend the meeting however they cannot participate in the deliberation. The three newcomers were helpless and the magical word de facto zipped their lips. Whether or not the disallowance was lifted in the process, my attention was all for the surveillance of the paranormal presence, as I waited for the moment to cast my vote.
After the short speeches of gratitude by the officers who didn’t make for re-election, the discussions turned rather off the normal course. The outgoing president was pressing for the discussion of when, where, and how the oath taking ceremony must take place and who shall be the administering official. Everyone seem to agree that the matter is not of concerned by the outgoing officers but by the incoming new set who are yet to be elected by the body. But again the voley of the DE FACTO was heard and this time the Speaker's face turned light purple the approximate color of Friday the 13th.
The Election
In the first round of balloting, the Elecom could not proceed counting the votes since only 9 bond paper ballots were counted INSIDE the ballot box instead of 10 (1 of the 11 did not make it that day). And despite repeated pleas, the missing ballot disappeared forever so that balloting Round No. 2 was called for giving way for a tie.
In the second balloting two BODs tied for the Presidential race. The first (the popular BOD-elect) declared that he was not in favor of being elected to the president’s post but without really making a categorical statement that he should be excluded in the election for the presidency. The other one, was ready to accept any favor for the post he held since 2006. And the BIG SURPRISE happened! The popular candidate simply bundled-up all his votes, made the declaration and proposal that he would just support the other candidate (his friend) along with all his garnered votes like pouring beer into one's mouth. He volunteered to become the vice-president instead, And so his friend moved quickly and proclaimed himself the duly elected Federation President. Both gentlemen refused the toss of coin solution prayed for by those present stating they aren’t used to the game.
Blest with the day’s un-blessedness, the President-elect immediately proceeded to handpick the rest of the officers from Secretary through PRO. I could not even tell if this was a violation of the federation CBL. I have not got a copy of the CBL myself. He also appointed 2 PROs and ended up creating the position of SERGEANT AT ARMS. Later I learned that the CBL mandated only 1 PRO and zero Sgt-at-arms. THE PARANORMAL PRESENCE MUST HAVE POSSESSED EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM! NO ONE DARED TO COUNTER THE ECSTASY!
Hope was of course just six days away in the general assembly meeting, the Mecca
