Old ways must go

31/08/2002

THE RECENT proceedings on the Malaysian Hockey Federation front only
proved one thing - that the old ways of management and administration of
sport doesn't work in an environment that demands a more professional
structure.
Volunteerism may have worked in the old days, but that was when sport
was at its most purest and simplistic form. But in an era when sport has
become scientific, and highly commercialised, the demands have become
greater.
It calls for fulltime administrators and collective thinking. Ad-hoc
administration has only resulted in heightened levels of inefficiency.
As in the case of the MHF, where even rules, clearly laid out in the MHF
constitution, have been blatantly ignored.
But ignorance is no defence for MHF to be let off the hook with just a
rap on the knuckle.
The MHF standing committee, run by a select few, have been making
decisions on almost all matters as other MHF committees, which they claim
to be still functioning, have not met in years.
This set-up has led to ill feelings among some State officials who have
been sidelined time and again, the most recent case being the Malaysia
Games in Sabah.
So long as the MHF is ruled by decisions made by the standing
committees, there will be room for abuse, especially when decisions are
not made by the right committees. Discontent will only kill the sport.
Olympic Council of Malaysia president Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar
on Thursday set the tone for arbitration when he said: "I feel that the
current situation was not planned or intended but exists because of a law,
that is why it is useless to punish them (MHF)."
Nobody is asking OCM or the Sports Commissioner to deregister or
dissolve MHF because the repercussions will be far and wide.
For one, the Kuala Lumpur hockey World Cup would then have been run by
an illegal body because Penang was allowed to vote in the 1999 elections
although they have not paid their affiliation fees in the past six years.
Kelantan have also defaulted payment amounting to RM700 but their
delegate Mansor Salleh seconded the proposal by delegate from Malacca V.
Kulasingam to ... `approve the minutes of the 14th Biennial General
Meeting of the Malaysian Hockey Federation held on Saturday, 5th October
1996 at the Concorde Hotel, Kuala Lumpur' (as was documented in the
minutes).
The other Kelantan delegate who voted at the BGM was K. Paramasivam.
Monies collected by the MHF to sponsor the World Cup will also be
scrutinised - all because of a law.
But excuses have been made for the MHF by the OCM even before
arbitration started and if the latter lets MHF off easily, they will be
setting a bad precedent.
Apart from punishing errant officials, what the OCM could do is to set
new guidelines for the electoral process. And one of it, is to bar
incumbent office bearers from voting in the Oct 26 elections.
Delegates from state associations who are not holding posts should be
the ones to decide who they want as their leaders and administrators of
the sport.
As for those who have, either by their negligence or ignorance to rules
and enforcing them, brought the MHF to disrepute, they should not be
allowed to stand for elections.
The OCM should also bar those administrators - chairmen of the various
sub-committees - who have not been effective or not done anything, from
standing for elections.
Many questions still remain unanswered, but the MHF has chosen to keep
quiet about the whole issue as their top officials cannot be contacted for
comments.
But the immediate issue at hand is to decide on the legality of the MHF
and to fix the problems after that.
(END)