NOON DRAMA AT MHF MEETING

These are things you will not find reported in any main stream media, and for obvious reasons for one and the incompetence of holding MHF Management and Council meetings on a day when the Malaysian Hockey League matches were played in Kuantan, some 270km away from the venues of the meetings which were in Kuala Lumpur.

For starters, the Management Meeting saw some officials seething with anger when the former ( I use former as he is out of contract) national coach Stephen van Huizen raised issues with regards to the status of Tai Beng Hai and himself with regards to the national team.

These matters were raised two weeks ago at the National Team Management Committee meeting but no action was taken. So obviously Stephen was right in raising the matter infront of the MHF President and the rest of the big wigs. And those who failed to take action, especially the Deputy President, were left fuming. 

And one official confirmed with this blog that Stephen's actions had brought about a sharp rebuke, so much so that in the Press Conference after the Council Meeting, the President said that he was going to meet Stephen and Beng Hai.

Next we had the issue of why the responsibility of running the domestic and international competitions was handed to the Assistant Secretary, something that certain affiliates are not happy about. The reasoning was that it was approved by the Management Committee. But lets take a look at a clause in the MHF Constitution and then make your own conclusions.

9.4.3. The Secretary General shall assist in the organisation of hockey tournaments and competitions, both nationally and internationally.

Next we move on to the issue of the flaws in the constitution. The President did raise this matter in his opening address, but in the end he stated that if it was not an issue then it stands. But Tuanku President, two wrongs do not make a right.

So rather then correct things, MHF opts to sweep problems under the carpet. Over to you Sports Commissioner, if you have the guts to take action.

UNCONSTITUTIONAL ?

I have taken the liberty to copy and paste some portions of the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) constitution as approved on October 22, 2010. The amendments to the constitution was done on September 4, at an EGM called by the MHF.

The "butchered" constitution is now led to the decisions of the MHF being unlawful and can be challenged. Let us go step by step, reading the constitution as it has been prepared and highlight the flaws that need to be corrected.

The only hope is someone within the closed circle of HRH Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the President of MHF, prints this article for Tuanku to read and digest.

Firstly we ought to read the definition of CONGRESS, and it says:

(a)       the elected Office-Bearers of M.H.F who are elected at a General Meeting namely.

(i)        the President;

(ii)       the Deputy President;

(iii)      6 Vice-Presidents (including one each from Sabah and Sarawak);

(b)       Appointed officials of M.H.F namely

(i)        the Independent Delegates as appointed by the President;

(ii)       the Secretary and Assistant Secretary;

(iii)      the Treasurer and Assistant Treasurer;

(iv)       the Chairmen of M.H.F Committees.

(c)       2 delegates from each Affiliate.

So for those who understand simple English, it simply means that the Congress is the supreme body of MHF, and it is in plain English the body that holds court in the AGM, BGM, EGM, whatever you may want to call it. Now let us look at the following article and digest it:

AR                            

AR                            CONGRESS AND CONGRESS MEETINGS

The Congress inter alia shall appoint the following Committees and any other Committee which the Congress finds necessary

The Congress inter alia shall appoint the following Committees and any other Committee which the Congress finds necessary:

(i)        Development Committee

(ii)       Coaching Committee

(iii)      Umpiring Committee

(iv)      Competitions Committee

(v)       Selection Committee

(vi)      Finance Committee

(vii)     Disciplinary Committee

(viii)    Legal and Special Projects Committee

(ix)      Others

It is within the jurisdiction of the Congress to form the Committees. Notice there is no such  thing as the Media Committee, National Team Management Committee? So how did these Committees come into existence? And if they were necessary, then why were they not included in the amendments to the Constitution? Nor were there any proposals from the floor or affiliates for the formation of such Committees.

Next we move to the composition of the Committees as defined in the constitution. If one were to read Rule 17, it says that the Committees shall consist of a Chairman and 8 Members, making it 9 in total.

ARTICLE 17 - COMMITTEES

Rule 17                   

The principle function of each committee shall be for the development and promotion of hockey in Malaysia. Committees; such as Development, Coaching, Umpiring and Competition shall consist of a Chairman and 8 members.The 8 members shall be appointed by the Chairman with consultation of its committee and the list shall be endorsed by the Management Committee.

Hence it is clear that only 9 (nine) shall be the composition of the Committees. But if one  were to read the roles of each Committee, it says " the Committee shall comprise of all Chairmen of the respective STATE committees. So whoever did the constitution has failed to omit key words in the old constitution and has thus left it open to interpretation. 

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

The Development Committee shall be responsible for the development and promotion of hockey under the M.H.F. Development Programmes. This Committee shall comprise of all Chairmen of the States Hockey Development Committees;  

COACHING COMMITTEE

The Coaching Committee shall be responsible for recommending to the Management Committee for the appointment of coaches at all levels. The Committee shall comprise of all Chairmen of the States Hockey Coaching Committees. It shall also be responsible for the development of coaching at all levels;

UMPIRING COMMITTEE 

The Umpiring Committee shall oversee the functions of umpires which includes updating umpires with the latest rules and regulations of hockey as provided by the F.I.H. The Committee shall comprise of all the Chairmen of the States Hockey Umpiring Committees/Board.  

COMPETITION COMMITTEE

The Competition Committee shall organise and manage all national competitions. The Committee shall comprise of all Chairmen of the States Hockey Competition Committees and shall be responsible for all technical aspects of competitions;

In conclusion, the composition of the Committees must return to status quo, that is all state chairmen to be members, until another EGM is held to correct the flaws. Also note that no where in the constitution does it state that there can be a half term (two years) as advocated by some Committees such as the Competition and Coaching Committee.

THE POSTMAN COMMITTEE

Remember the posting about throwing the Malaysian Hockey Federation constitution out? Well I promised there will be more to it, and here it is.

Firstly my apology with regards to the Umpiring Committee as they have followed the constitution with regards to the number of members, which is eight. It was meant to be the Competitions Committee as they have 9, with the inclusion of a Secretary who is not amongst the affiliates.

The same argument is being put forward now on the Secretary and Treasurer who are not the Chairman of the State Umpires Boards. We shall tackle this issue later.

What I like is the National Team Management Committee that met two Saturday's ago. And they invited the team officials of the National and Project 2013 team to attend the meeting and put forward their proposal. But when asked what was the decision, those present were told that the proposals will be sent to the Management or Council for deliberation and approval.

So why bother calling for a meeting since you cannot make a decision? And no prizes for guessing but it is the great MHF Deputy President that chairs this committee, so really can we expect any sane decisions from him?

The national assistant coach Tai Beng Hai is being taken for a ride by those in  MHF as he wrote a letter in June with regards to his salary but till today has yet to get a honest answer from those holding positions (some more then one) within the MHF. The standrd answer is MHF has yet to receive a reply from NSC.

But that reply was given six months ago. If NSC needs to pay all your coaches, with MHF not taking out a single cent, then why is the Deputy President chairing a committee that is akin to a postman?

Be fair to Beng Hai and pay him his dues. What is more sickening is that the welfare of the hockey coaches is not being looked after.

How come coaches are not given vehicles but everyone else within the MHF office is driving a sponsored car all over Malaysia? Want to know why, because the coaches are expected to pay for the upkeep of the car. It only happens in MHF though as in FAM, it is the employer who pays for the regular service.

And in the MHL, the coaches have to pay for their travel and hotel and await the payment from....yup you guessed it right, from NSC.

So why do we even have a MHF to start with. Oh yes I forgot, they need postman....

KUMAR IS ASIA'S BEST

Malaysian goalkeeper S. Kumar was today named as Asia's best player by the Asian Hockey Federation at its Congress held in Kuala Lumpur.

The 32 year old was the first Malaysian to win the award as prior to this Tengku Ahmad Tajuddin was awarded the Best Youth Player award.

It was indeed a surprise for Kumar, who has been adjudged the best goalkeeper in eight international tournaments.

The year 2010 was a mixed year for Kumar who lost his father, Subramaniam, in the midst of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

But he went on to represent Malaysia at the Asian Games, where Malaysia won the silver medal, their first ever such medal in the Asian Games.

"It is indeed a honour that I will cherish and I dedicate this award to my late father who encouraged me right from the begining," said Kumar.

"Without the sacrifices of my father, I will not be here today.

"My dream is to play at the Olympics and the next one year will be difficult as Malaysia needs to prepare well for the qualifiers."

ASIAN HOCKEY FEDERATION AWARDS

SULTAN AZLAN SHAH AWARD
Thailand Hockey Association
 
MEMBER OF HONOUR
Dato’ Seri Muneyoshi Ueda – Japan

ORDER OF MERIT
Mr. Mathavan Devadas – Singapore

AHF PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR MAN
Mr. Lei Jun – China

AHF PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR WOMAN
Ms. Shun Jun Hee – Korea

AHF PLAYERS AWARD – 2009
Man – You Hyo Sik (Korea)
Woman – Baorung Fu (China)
Boy – Muhammad Tooseeq (Pakistan)
Girl – Mazuki Arai (Japan)

AHF PLAYERS AWARD – 2010
Man – S. Kumar (Malaysia)
Woman – Park Mih Yun (Korea)
Boy – Syed Kashif Shah (Pakistan)
Girl – Zhao Yudiao

AHF COUNCIL 2011 TO 2014

PRESIDENT
HRH SULTAN AZLAN SHAH
(MALAYSIA)

SECRETARY GENERAL
TAN SRI P. ALAGENDRA
(MALAYSIA)

TREASURER
DATO’ FUMIO OGURA
(JAPAN)

VICE PRESIDENTS
DATO SERI MUNEYOSHI UEDA (JAPAN)* -41 votes
MR. LEI JUN (CHINA)*
MR. DAWOOD AHMED ALI AL-RAISI (OMAN)*
MR. HONG MOON PYO (KOREA)
MR. CHAIYAPAK SIRIWAT (THAILAND) – 36 votes
MR. NARINDER BAHTRA (INDIA) – 38 votes
MR. BAHRAM SHAFIE (IRAN)
MR. QASIM ZIA (PAKISTAN) – 30 votes
MR. SHAMSUL BARI (BANGLADESH)
MR. SEKSENBAYEZ BERIKKAZY (KAZAKHSTAN)
MR. SUMITH EDIRINGHE (SRI LANKA)
MS. SHUN JUNG HEE (W) (KOREA)

(* Incumbents)

Note: Six (6) of whom one (1) will be a woman and another for HOST country of the next Asian Games (South Korea)

COUNCIL MEMBERS
DATO TAYYAB IKRAM (MACAU) * - 56 votes
MS. MASAKO KAMISUKI (JAPAN) * - 53 votes
MR. SHAMSUL BARI (BANGLADESH)*
MR. MATHAVAN DEVADASS (SINGAPORE)* - 42 votes
DATO HAJI RAHMIN MD ARIFF (MALAYSIA) – 45 votes
MS. PETSUDA CHIENTHIANTONG (W) (THAILAND) – 36 votes
MR. MUHAMMAD ASIF BAJWA (PAKISTAN) – 45 votes
MR. SEKSENBAYEZ BERIKKAZY (KAZAKHSTAN) – 40 votes
MR. K.M.R. MANZOOR (BANGLADESH) – 43 votes
DR. SHAMALA SUBRAMANIAN (W) (MALAYSIA) – 45 votes
MR. M.L.TAYAL (INDIA)
MR. KIM MYUNG SUNG (KOREA) – 33 votes
MS. BRENDA SMITH (W) HONG KONG
MR. RAJEEV MEHTA (INDIA)

(* Incumbents)

Note: Council Members : Ten (10) of whom three (3) shall be women.
 

BENG HAI DOES MALAYSIA PROUD

Tai Beng Hai has created history of sorts for Malaysian hockey, as he is now an International Hockey Federation High Performance Coach as well as a Development Coach.

It is indeed a rare honour for a coach to be qualified in both categories and it is a reflection of his ability and dedication towards the sport. Dato Tayyab Ikram who is the Secretary of the FIH High Performance Committee as well as the Coaching Chief at FIH relayed Beng Hai’s elevation to a High Performance Coach.

And Dato Tayyab, who is in Kuala Lumpur for the Asian Hockey Federation Congress, also revealed that former international, Lim Chiow Chuan has qualified as a High Performance Coach, following his successful presentation at the seminar held in Monchengladbach, Germany, in July, during the Champions Trophy.

“It is indeed a proud moment for Malaysian hockey as these two coaches have shown that they have what it takes to deliver in high performance,” said Dato Tayyab.

“Asian coaches need to work harder and not look at coaching as just a profession but have to be professional in their approach. We are still lagging in this department and need to re-double our efforts to match the best in the world.”

Beng Hai took over as the Malaysian national coach in January 2009 and led Malaysia to a runner-up position in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup the same year. In the recent Asian Games, Beng Hai helped Malaysia secure an unprecedented silver medal.

As for Chiow Chuan, he was attached to the Singapore Hockey Association until recently and assumed the position of the Head Coach for the 1Mas Development Program in September last year.

Besides these two, the other High Performance Coaches from Malaysia are Stephen van Huizen, Wallace Tan and Colin Sta Maria.

DAYS NUMBERED?

It seems that the days of Yahya Atan as coach of the national women's hockey team are numbered. And most likely to take over from Yahya is his understudy - Mohd Nashin Nubli Ibrahim.

Though the Malaysian Women Hockey Association has yet to make a firm decision, as they are awaiting a joint meeting with the National Sports Council, there is every indication that Yahya will most likely be moved to handle the women's version of the 1Mas development program.

Mooted by the NSC Director General Dato Zolkples Embong, who is the Chairman of the Task Force Monitoring Committee of the 1 Mas Program, after the program was given an additional RM1 million funding, Yahya is expected to take charge of the development program, though not as extensive of the men's version, sometime next month.

THROW THE CONSTITUTION OUT

Having looked at how the Malaysian Hockey Federation is being run after the amendments to its constitution that were carried out in September last year, there is two things that one can deduce - either people in MHF are totally ignorant of what a constitution is or they are running the MHF as if it belongs to them, with no respect to the document.

This is because, some of iys committees has changed the term of office for its members, from the four year term to two years, alternating with those who are not on the bandwagon for the initial period. There is no such provision in the constitution. And its a wonder why the committees are not being told that they cannot do as they like.

It is also spelt out loud and clear that the composition is eight members, and some have included 10 members, by making provisions for the Secretary and Treasurer ( In this case I mean the Umpires Committee).

Next thing we know is that paid employees of the MHF are also being appointed onto committees, so please go and learn from FAM, paid employees are merely there to carry out the insructions, and are not there to vote. They can be appointed as Secretaries of Committee, but that too is subject to the Hon. Secreary or the Assistant.

Now can someone within MHF please advice the President that these appointments are ultra vires of the constitution.

THE END OF THE ROAD

This refers to www.tnbmhl.com.my

Having started this website with a hope and a prayer, life has been tough as it has been a journey riddled with roadblocks and sabotage. With virtually no funding, and the last minute pullout by the title sponsors of the MHL - Tenaga Nasional Berhad, due to the fact that the MHF Deputy President had instructed them not to award the website to this administrator.

Efforts were then made to secure other sponsors for the website and we were fortunate that UniKL-TRC and KL Hockey Club agreed to come abroad as partners for this website. And the efforts continued to seek another sponsor and one of the teams agreed initially, on December 18. But on December 31, we were informed by that said club that a key MHF official (not the Deputy President) had told them not to support this website.

So in order to be fair to UniKL-TRC and KLHC, we took the sacrifice to terminate our arrangement with them, hence their banner adverts will be removed so as to signify the end of the working relationship. We would like to make it clear that the termination of the agreement was done not by the clubs, but by the administrators of the website, so as to prevent the key MHF official to take advantage of the situation and punish the teams.

So where now from here? Well without financial support, it is difficult to run the website as it has been run over the past month. We will in no uncertain terms close this website, but things like post match stories (which my dear friends from the media have picked up without even giving us the due credit) will cease. We will update on an irregular basis as it is not viable to do it on a daily basis.

Putting sand in the rice bowl of others seems to be a stand adopted by this key MHF official. But one thing is certain - it is not greed that made us put up this website in the first place. We did it because we love hockey. We did it because we can do things better then you. We did it because putting it simply, you are not able to do it.

So, we will move along, though not on a pace that many of you will like, but stick with us for it is here that you will get some decent coverage and information (if made available) to us. Thanks for your support readers, for without you we are nothing.

RAHMAN KARIM IS NO LONGER WITH US

It is with profound sadness that we announce the untimely demise of Tuan Haji Rahman Karim, the former secretary of the Johor Hockey Association.

Rahman passed away in an accident in Pontian, Johor last night and will be laid to rest at before the Friday prayers today at Pontian.

The quiet, unassuming Rahman was well liked in the hockey fraternity and was the team manager of the national team at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Our condolences to the family of Rahman.

FALSE REPRESENTATION?

Question marks have been raised with regards to the two officials who represented Malaysia at the International Hockey Federation meeting in Geneva last November.

This is due to the fact that the duo are not office bearers of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC), which is the rightful affiliate of the FIH.

The constitution of MHC clearly states that the President of MHC, in this case Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah will represent the MHC at all international meetings and in his absence, the Deputy, in this case Raja Noorashikin will be the representative.

And it makes it very clear that those who cease to be office bearers in the MHF/MWHA shall no longer be on the MHC Committees.

In the case of MHF, the two vice presidents that represent them in MHC are Nur Azmi Ahmad and Dato Dr. SS Cheema. And Cheema by virtue of losing at the MHF elections ceases to be the nominated Vice President of MHF.

So how did the Vice President of MHF end up at the FIH meeting whe he is not an office bearer of MHC. For the record MHC is overdue in holding their yearly elections and the last council meeting was held during Sukma in Malacca in June last year.

Perhaps the duo should come clean as to who misled the MHC President into sending them for the FIH Meetings when it was constitutionally clear that only office bearers of MHC can represent the nation internationally.

But what I and the rest will be more interested to know is who blundered in bidding for the Olympic Qualifiers under MHF when in the eyes of the FIH such an organisationa no longer exists.

The big question now is what will FIH say on MHC being represented by those without locus standi? Was it greed on the part of someone?