The COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) (Alternative Arrangements for Meetings for MCSTs, Sub-MCSTs and Collective Sale Committees) Order 2020 (‘Order’) has extended the period enabling MCSTs to hold general meetings via electronic means beyond 30 June 2021. This Order has had certainly created new experiences for managing agents and for subsidiary proprietors (SPs) in 2 major ways:
1. SPs could attend general meetings from the comfort of their homes or anywhere
2. Votes counting were efficient and the results published in seconds after closing of votes
However,some SPs feedback that their MCSTs failed to actively engage them on the virtual platforms.The Order was further amended last September requiring MCSTs to provide for any matter to be raised by any SP at a meeting to be responded to at the meeting through real-time electronic communication such as video conferencing or live chat.
Hybrid meetings ,a blend of the virtual and physical, could be the way to go, even in a post-pandemic world. Under 1st Schedule of the Order, an MCST may hold a meeting wholly or partially via electronic means. While costing more, Hybrid meetings could allow SPs, the option to join the meetings virtually, and permit those who prefer face-to-face interaction to take part in person.