OCM begins work on MHF crisis

11/09/2002

THE Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) have met with the Malaysian Hockey
Federation (MHF) on the latter's crisis, and have begun working on
solutions.
"I would like to state here that prior to the OCM Executive Board
meeting, we had a meeting with MHF office bearers and we discussed some of
issues that have been highlighted in the media recently.
"Although we did not receive anything in black and white from the Sports
Minister or the Sports Commissioner saying that the OCM has been given a
deadline until the end of the month to sort out matters, we are doing it
based on media reports because of courtesy to the Sports Minister and the
Sports Commissioner," said OCM president Tunku Imran Tunku Ja'afar after
chairing the Executive Board meeting at Wisma OCM yesterday.
Sports Commissioner Datuk Mahamat Zabri Min had said last week that if
the OCM failed to set things right within the MHF before the end of the
month, he will have to step in because hockey's governing body had
contravened its constitution.
The MHF elections are almost one year overdue and Penang and Kelantan
voted in their 1999 elections even though they did not pay their
affiliation fees for years.
The MHF constitution clearly states that members who do not pay
affiliation fees before March 31 every year are not eligible to vote.
MHF have also not sent their accounts to the Commissioner's office since
1999.
"We will present our findings to the Sports Minister well before the MHF
Biennial General Meeting (on Oct 26) because we want all the matters to be
cleared before the MHF affiliates can discuss their future in the BGM."
Tunku Imran was unwilling to disclose what was discussed with the MHF
because "we need to inform the Sports Minister and the Sports Commissioner
on our findings before it can be made public."
"I do not think that highlighting matters in the media is going to help
solve the problems which associations face. I urge members of the media to
be healers rather than encourage division in sports associations.
"You (media) should be responsible enough to recognise who are the
people who have personnal grudges and try and embarrass people in
position," said Tunku Imran.
Tunku Imran also said that the OCM has decided that they need to be more
pro-active in assisting and encouraging their affiliates to practice good
governance.
"As a starting point, OCM will be sending out questionaires to
affiliates so that we can establish a database for each sport. This will
be to monitor their performance, changes in constitution and see that
their accounts are in order and are being sent to the Sports
Commissioner's office regularly.
"We would also monitor to see if they follow their constitution, and
have regular meetings for the progress of the sport. The OCM database will
also enable us to monitor that elections are properly held," said Tunku
Imran.
Tunku Imran also said that OCM is in the midst of amending their
constitution and also those of its affiliates to include mediation and
arbitration procedures.
"This will enable us to monitor our affiliates and allow for mediation."
(END)