Accountability is the name of the game

17/11/2002

MALAYSIAN Hockey Federation (MHF) deputy president Tan Sri P. Alagendra has come out with a foolproof plan to ensure the newly appointed sub-committee chairmen and members remain on their toes. A check-and-balance system has been proposed and once endorsed at the next council meeting, MHF should become a more professional outfit. Alagendra spoke at length to TIMESPORT'S JUGJET SINGH about MHF's new motto - accountability.
Q: The MHF had come under heavy fire for the past eight months because the sub-committees were hardly alive. After the elections, what changes can be expected?
A: The Kuala Lumpur World Cup took a toll on hockey's administrators for the past three years, but it was no excuse to neglect grassroots
development. I agree that the MHF committees hardly functioned during that period, so after the elections, I made a number of proposals which, if
endorsed at the next meeting, will revolutionise the administration of
hockey.
I have proposed that the MHF adheres strictly to a provision in the
constitution which allows us to remove members who are absent from two consecutive meetings. Here, the sub-committee chairmen must have the courage to report to the council on members who are never around when meetings are held.
I have always believed in the motto `leadership by example' and if I can
find the time to attend all the meetings, I see no reason why appointed
members cannot do the same. We will no longer tolerate members who are only alive by name, not action.
The same applies to chairmen of committees. If they do not function and
are hardly around, we will not hesitate to throw the constitution at them
and appoint someone who is interested in the job.
Q: In the past, meetings were held at the whim and fancy of a select
few, how different is the present set-up?
A: A systematic approach to meetings has been arranged where the council will meet once every three months and meetings will be held in different States. The proposal is to hold the council meetings to coincide with tournaments.
For example, the next council meeting could be held in Ipoh in March as
Perak will be hosting the Azlan Shah Cup. This way, hockey officials will
be more motivated to attend as they can also watch or officiate at the
tournament.
The sub-committee meetings will be held once every two months so that
they can prepare a detailed report of their progress for the council to
check and endorse.
We have also made sure that protocol will be strictly followed because
in the past, people took things for granted and forgot about the basics
like issuing a minimum of two weeks' notice for meetings and details like
date, time, place and agenda.
Basic matters like minutes of meetings must be distributed two weeks
prior to a meeting. This is to allow the principle office bearers (i.e.
president, deputy president, vice-presidents, secretary and treasurer) to
check on the work of sub-committees.
These are the basic requirements of any organisation, but along the way,
MHF lost its direction and we aim to put everything back on track.
Q: What measures have been put into place to make sure plans and ideas
get off the drawing board?
A: All committees should come out with innovative ideas to prepare their
two-year action plan and by the third meeting, they should produce their
plans and there should be no more excuses and delays.
These plans will be subjected to six-monthly periodical reviews and as
an added measure, there should be an evaluation on a two-monthly period to ensure that action is proceeding as planned.
The plans will be closely monitored with the view of identifying `grey
areas' and finding solutions to problems. They must be receptive to
suggestions and all the plans must be submitted for approval by the
council and once approved, no changes can be made without the endorsement of the council.
For this term, committees are responsible for implementing their plans
within the prescribed time.
Q: MHF has just formed a marketing arm to fill up its coffers, why the
delay?
A: After the Kuala Lumpur World Cup, from which we made a hefty profit,
we feel that it is time that we have professionals to bring in the money
for development and other purposes. Before that, there was no need for
such a committee as the affairs could be run on an ad hoc basis when the
need arose.
But with the appointment of Affin Bank CEO Raja Datuk Seri Aman as
chairman and having sponsors that have helped us on the committee, we hope to become financially sound and help develop the game and not just wait for the States to act on their own.
Q: What if after all the measures, MHF still fails to function properly.
A: This is where accountability comes in and I will be the first to
admit if we fail. And even after all the measures are put into place and
nothing comes out of them, I will give way to someone else and the rest of
the office bearers should do the same.
(END)