18 September 2008

PATA moves to end board leaks

HYDERABAD Ã¢â¬' In a sideshow to this yearÃ¢â¬â¢s Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) Mart, the associationÃ¢â¬â¢s executives have been slugging it out with two of AsiaÃ¢â¬â¢s most respected travel journalists Ã¢â¬' Travel Impact NewswireÃ¢â¬â¢s Imtiaz Muqbil and Travel Trade ReportÃ¢â¬â¢s (TTR) Don Ross.

In a series of recent articles, TTR has alleged that the PATA board has lacked transparency and good governance in its financial reporting and that Ã¢â¬Åâœthe culture of the organisation still defers towards making decisions based on expedience rather than principleÃ¢â¬~.

Further, the journalists allege that PATA Ã¢â¬Åâœremains largely defiant on issues regarding disclosure and making its financial statements available to members and the public within a certain time frameÃ¢â¬~.

The two journalists sent a series of questions to PATA chair Janice Antonson prior to the opening of PATA Mart this week.

Antonson declined to answer them due to their sensitivity, and replied that she was Ã¢â¬Åâœsurprised at the details you have with regards to the internal workings of our organisationÃ¢â¬~.

Members of the PATA board of directors are being asked this week to sign off on a proposed Code of Conduct which it hopes will end persistent media leaks.

PATA CEO Peter De Jong had previously responded to the journalistsÃ¢â¬â¢ allegations by saying, Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) is a non-profit association which maintains fully compliant status with applicable US and other laws, including the assurance of outside independent accountants and legal counselÃ¢â¬~.

He said PATA would be Ã¢â¬Åâœkeeping our options open with regard to those with a personal agenda, who may spread misleading reports or seem intent on injuring PATA's reputation or interestsÃ¢â¬~.

Iqbal, filing from Hyberabad, said, Ã¢â¬ÅâœAs journalists with long history of coverage of PATA affairs, we can testify that this is no longer the PATA we once knew.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœAn organisation once infused with lively and democratic debate and discussion, which gave it global respectability and earned it public trust, is now heading in exactly the opposite direction.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœNever in the history of PATA did anyone ever attempt to threaten the media or gag the board. That it has come to this stage should warrant some deeper introspection about what is happening within the organisation and where it is headed in future."