DHARMA HAS FAITH IN HIS TEAM

Malaysian National Junior Coach K. Dharmaraj has a tough task awaiting him in his hometown Malacca. For he has been entrusted to secure a place for Malaysia into the 2013 Junior World Cup in India next November. He knows it is a tough task but he remains confident and optimistic that Malaysia has the players capable of not only sealing a spot in the final round but also win the Asia Cup for the first time in history. Dharma shares in this interview his expectations, the progress and most importantly the faith he has in his players.

Question: Who do you think are the toughest opponents and why?

Answer: I fear my own team's performance than any of the other team. Yes Pakistan has included five senior players in their squad. And I reckon India and Korea too are strong in their own way as they are Olympic playing nations. We have trained very long and are well prepared for this tournament. Having said that the other teams too have undergone preparation so we will take it one match at a time.

Question: Playing at home is never easy for Malaysian teams. Do you think it has it's advantage and disadvantage?

Answer: At times playing at home seems to be more of a disadvantage as pressure increases and there are many distractions playing at home. But the players did well in the Sultan Johor Cup. The crowd increased as we played in Johor. In the end we were champions and the feeling was so great at home. There were more than 8,000 supporters behind us. The match was telecast live and I received hundreds of SMS from all over the country that keeps me strong and motivated.

Question: The fans in Malacca are passionate about hockey. Your message to them?

Answer: I was born here. I completed my school here. I played in all age group tournaments under the guidance of coaches like Terry Lee, K. Machap, Dhorai Raja, the late G. Ravindran and the late Razak Leman. I know how the crowd appreciate good hockey and they would take leave from their jobs to be here for not only to support me but also Mirnawan Nawawi and Nor Azlan Bakar. My message to them - we will play good attacking hockey all the way and bring back the glory of hockey in late 70's till early 90's. Please be at the stadium to support and help us achieve our target of winning the Junior Asia Cup for the first time and qualify for the 2013 Junior World Cup.

Question: How does it feel to coach the juniors and play the qualifier at your home town?

Answer: It is most challenging thing to do for not only do I have to manage my own children but am also entrusted by parents to manage their children who dream of bringing honour to the nation. At times I feel so helpless as I tackle the problems that I face. I am happy as some of the boys who were branded as naughty boys have matured and changed to caring and good human beings. I have always maintained that as a coach, the most important thing is to make players better persons in life as not everybody can be a national player. I am proud as some of the players are close to me as my own children and share and solve problems together. Playing at home is great and thanks to former Secretary General Maninderjit Singh who helped us secure the hosting of the tournament here. Now winning here would be the icing on the cake.

Question: You must have had many pleasant memories in hockey, what are your best and worst moments?

Answer: I have won many tournaments both as a player and as a coach. In 2008 I won Under 16,Under 18,Sukma, Razak Cup MHL League and MHL Overall and the Asian Club Championship. But winning the Sultan of Johor Cup was the best moment of my life. The worst moment was losing to Pakistan in Youth Olympic Qualifier Final 3-4. At club level the experience of losing six consecutive finals in MHL in a row still accounts as something I cannot forget.

Question: Expectations are high after winning the Sultan Johor Cup. Do you think that the team is under pressure?

Answer: To be honest I never thought that we would be champs in Johor. But having been at the helm as coach since 2009, I have had a dream to win the Asian level tournament. This tournament was our target with playing at home provides us with the perfect opportunity to make good the dream. We know the nation has high hopes on the team. We know the pressure as we experienced it in Johor. Hopefully we can cope with the pressure and god willing we will prevail.

Question: Should Malaysia qualify, which players in this team will not be able to play at the Junior World Cup?

Answer: It is always difficult to create or find a good player. Faizal Saari was never in our preparation period as he was already a national player. The rest likes the Mohd Nor Faez Ibrahim, Izat Sumantri ,Amir Farid, Mohd Ramadan and Dedi Aryandi have grown up to be very strong players. For sure I will miss them if we qualify.

Question: You have good assistants and support staff. Your opinion about them and working as a team?

Answer: You look at the team coaching staff and support team one might get a shock. I have two video analyst, one masseur, one Medical Assistant, one Nutritionist, one psychologist and one bio mechanic. In my coaching team of K. Gobinathan, Nor Azlan Bakar and M. Nadarajan as goalkeeper coach. All were there in Johor as well .To me I am strong believer of sharing responsibilities and using the best to master the best. All this would not have been possible without the support, encouragement and blessings of lthe likes of NSC Director General Dato Zolkpless Embong, NSI CEO Dato Dr. Ramlan Abdul Aziz, NSC Elite Division Director Ariffin Ghani and Jefri Ngadrin. I also have to thank Tengku Abdullah Sulatn Ahmad Shah, the President of MHC and Maninderjit Singh who have personally helped the team so much. And the bubble of all is our team manager Mirnawan Nawawi who is always there to help us when needed. The time has come to repay their faith in the team.

JAC - ALL SYSTEMS GO

A boat ride to the opening ceremony, an upgraded stadium that can telecast matches in high definition and a bunch of enthusiastic officials that are set to make the 7th Junior Asia Cup a resounding success.

That is what awaits the eight teams in Malacca when the Junior Asia Cup gets underway at Malacca from the 3rd to 13th of May.

Eight teams will battle it out for two places in the 2013 Junior World Cup and exciting matches are in store.

Hosts Malacca Hockey Association, have left no stone unturned to ensure that India, Pakistan, Korea, Iran, Sri Lanka, China, Japan and Malaysia leave with fond memories whatever the end result will be.

" We are proud to play host to the tournament and have worked hard to ensure that all preparations are of international standards," said Dato Nur Azmi Ahmad, Deputy President of Malacca Hockey Association and Senior Vice President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.

" It is a honor for Malacca to play hosts as this is the first time we are given the opportunity to host a top class tournament."

As a matter of fact Malaccan's should be proud as the Malaysian team has three officials that hail from Malacca, coach K. Dharmaraj, manager Mirnawan Nawawi and assistant coach Nor Azlan Bakar.

The MBM hockey Stadium has undergone renovations that cost more then RM 1 million and the after effects are there for all to admire.

The grandstand has been upgraded with dedicated media and broadcast rooms and seats fitted as well on the terraces. Even the changing rooms have been done up, truly reflecting a world class venue.

And that is not all, as the lighting system has been upgraded, from an initial 800 lux to 1300 lux, enough for telecasting matches in high definition.

It is still in early stages but host broadcaster Astro will most likely telecast all Malaysian matches live.

It is the opening ceremony that the teams should look forward to as they will be ferried by boats to the venue of the opening ceremony on May 2.
 
It's all systems go as all teams, with exception of Korea ( April 30 ) and Sri Lanka have arrived in historical Malacca.

KL AND PENANG LOOK CONVINCING

Defending champions Kuala Lumpur and Penang look convincing in the MILO-NSC National Under 16 Championships currently being played in Kedah.

The tournament, hosted by Kedah Hockey Association at two venues, Sg Petani and Alor Star has seen 12 matches being played over the opening two days.

Kuala Lumpur, who are in Group A, opened their campaign by trouncing Terengganu 6-1 on Friday and followed it up with another six goals, this time with Johor on the receiving end with a similar 6-1 margin.

Selangor who are in the same group as KL have also registered two wins, trashing Pahang 8-0 and followed up with a 2-1 win over Kelantan.

Pahang seem to be out of sorts, losing their second match also with a big margin, this time Terengganu cruising to a 7-1 win.

In Group B both Penang and Malacca have registered two wins.

Penang hammered Negri Sembilan 5-0 on Friday and followed it up with a 2-0 win over Perlis.

Malacca were also on form, as they defeated Perlis 6-2 and followed that with a 4-0 win over hosts Kedah.

Perak are another team that are on maximum points after they edged Kedah 3-2 before another close match against NS in which they won 2-1.

Results Day One ( Friday )

Group A
Kuala Lumpur 6 Terengganu 1
Johor 4 Kelantan 1
Selangor 8 Pahang 0

Group B
Malacca 6 Perlis 2
Penang 5 Negri Sembilan 0
Perak 3 Kedah 2

Results Day Two ( Saturday )

Group A
Kuala Lumpur 6 Johor 1
Terengganu 7 Pahang 1
Selangor 2 Kelantan 1

Group B
Penang 2 Perlis 0
Perak 2 Negri Sembilan 1
Malacca 4 Kedah 0

8-0

That is the margin of defeat for the womens hockey team in their second match at the Olympic Qualifiers against hosts Japan.

Honestly the players and coaching staff are a motivated bunch, eager and enthusiastic but its the upper echelon that have to shoulder the blame for the state of women hockey in this country.

Honestly women's hockey has been neglected and often one hears excuses in terms of finance coming out from their corridors.

Its time to clean up your act, if you cannot deliver then vacate the 50% positions you occupy in MHC, let others who know hockey better take over. Stop the politicking, develop at state and school level.

A WHITE LIE

Having read some dailies yesterday, I took the liberty of contacting two journalists to ask them why their papers had not reported on a serious injury suffered by Sebah Kari in the opening match between Malaysia and Azerbaijan at the Olympic Qualifiers in Japan.

They replied that no one told them about it. Not even the person who called them up to provide quotes for the match where Malaysia lost 0-4 despite all the talk that we would defeat the opponents.

Well today the report is out and yet this personality has shifted the blame on the National Sports Institute, claiming that the NSI official insists that the operation for the broken jaw be done in Malaysia.

Now I also contacted that NSI Director General on Thursday to enquire on the status of the player. He responded by forwarding me a SMS from his staff who is in Japan that made sense.

The operation is to be done here in Kuala Lumpur as the swelling needs to subside before the operation can be done. Thus is was better for the player to be flown back in order for her to get the best care possible.

It is and was never the intention of the medical personnel to insist, not when the all mighty S.Shamala is a Board Member of NSI.

So I hope that in future the truth be told with regards to the situation in total and correct information be disseminated to the members of the media.

We wish Sebah speedy recovery and value her sacrifices to the nation. If only her officials had been more forthcoming and honest....

OW CONFERRED DATUKSHIP

Former international and President of Penang State Hockey Association Ow Soon Kooi was conferred a "datukship" in conjunction with the birthday of HRH Sultan of Pahang.

Datuk Ow received the award this morning in Pahang and it is due recognition for the someone who played in the 1978 and 1982 World Cups as well as the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and 1984 Los Angles Olympics.

In addition Soon Kooi also played in the 1974 Asian Games, having made his debut in the 1973 Sea Games in Singapore where Malaysia were beaten to the gold medal by the hosts, the only time Malaysia never won gold in the regional tournament. He represented Malaysia from 1973 until 1984.

On a bright side though, Soon Kooi was the first Malaysian playing as a forward to skipper the national hockey team since the 1956 Melbourne Olympics where centrehalf S. Selvanayagam was accorded the honour.

He was picked as skipper for the national team for a 4 Nation Tournament in Kuala Lumpur in 1980 but prior to that he had filled the shoes of skipper when R.Ramakrishnan was out injured - in April 1979 against France in Perth as well as for the two Test matches against Pakistan two months later.

He probably is the only player to have broken his nose twice while donning national colours. The first being in the 1975 Sea Games and the second time when a free hit taken by Pakistan's all time great Akhtar Rasool was deflected onto his face from a stick during the 1978 World cup match in Argentina.

Soon Kooi was a product of Penang Free School and while is soft spoken he never holds back from stating his opinion on issues that affect Malaysian hockey, especially during MHF Management Committee meetings.

Many may not know but Soon Kooi went through so many difficult timnes, on and off the pitch to be where he is now, the Chairman of Olympic Hotel.

He failed his Senior Cambridge examinations in 1971, all due to his passion for hockey as he neglected his studies despite being amongst the top 60 students in an open examination. Having enrolled in Francis Light School in 1967 for his primary education, Soon Kooi then moved to Penang free School.

He represented PFS in their Under 15 team when he was in Form Two. The failure in his exams meant that he was forced to be transferred to the Methodist Boy's School,  something that did not go down well with him.

He started working as a waiter in a local hotel for 18 months and never let go of his passion for hockey as he was rewarded with a place in the national team for the 1973 Sea Games.

Fortune changed for the better after that as Soon Kooi joined the Penang Port Commission as a fireman and it was during this time that he went back to the books to complete and pass his Senior Cambridge exams. Two years later he joined the Malaysian Police as an Inspector and has never looked back since, charting one success after another.

We salute you Datuk Own Soon Kooi.

FROM FRIENDS TO FOES

I know nothing; I understand nothing. The world is a smouldering fire. My Lord did well to warn me about it, otherwise I would have been burnt as well. If you have a keen understanding, then do not write black marks against anyone else. Look underneath your own collar instead. Do not turn around and strike those who strike you with their fists. Kiss their feet and return home to your own home.

Those are verses from Shri Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book for the Sikhs and have cited them for some personalities that have tried to shift the blame on The Star newspaper and this blog for revealing what was written in a not so confidential report submitted by a coach of the national hockey team.

Be it with other media, players,officials or even talk shows or TV stations, the truth of the matter is there for all to see and read, if the report is made public. But what is the issue of making it public as the coach it seems has given copies to some members of the media to defend himself.

If it was a non issue, nothing should be hidden then, so why was it necessary to meet the team manager, the coach, the MHC President before actual training started? Why was there and continues to be, an attempt to say that what was reported was half truth?

I admit I never shared a cordial relationship with the coach, simply because he was never upfront and honest in many things discussed. But that is another story as I believe it was a professional duty for a coach not to desert his team at KLIA when they returned.

This episode however has made one thing clear, that friends ditch you when they want to be rubbing shoulders with the famous and important personalities. Two such persons have opted to sever ties with me and I have taken them in my stride. For I believe that they are just being emotional, as is their caoch.

Moving on if only these two and others associated with hockey in particular and sports in general knew my role in solving the recent issue between Lee Chong Wei and the NSC Director General.

Many members of the media knew and some asked me why I played cupid, given the fact that I do not share a cordial relationship with the NSC DG since two years ago.

My answer was simple, I am a Malaysian FIRST and a blogger second. It is the interest of the nation that I have at heart. 

Now if only these so-called friends could understand..

IF ONLY......

 

If only there were more officials in the Malaysian Hockey Confederation like Dato Abdul Rahim Ariff that can accept constructive criticism with an open mind.

Following the post titled What A Sham, Dato Rahim took the trouble to contact this blogger to clarify matters.

" It is true that Shamala was at the Competition Committee but it was based on an invite as I wanted someone from the women's side to be there as well, " said Dato Rahim.

" Her presence was to ensure that the women's side get equal representation and also brief us on the competitions run previously.

" As for including her into the committee, she is not a member of the main committee but the working committee.

" However as pointed out it may not be a suitable solution and I shall seek some clarification from Shamala and Raja Puan Sri Noorashikin on who should sit in the working committee.

" We require someone within women's hockey that can handle their competitions and work alongside the working committee."

Dato Rahim said that it did not cross their mind that Shamala was a Senior Vice President and that based on hierarchy it was not proper for her to sit as a member when the person chairing was a Vice President.

" I will resolve this matter as it is vital we adhere to the requirements of the constitution," added Dato Rahim.

Footnote: the women's team lost 0-4 against Azerbaijan in their opening Olympic Qualifier. So with the half sharing concept guess the men are equally to blame.

WHAT A SHAM

The last I checked, one S. Shamala was still the Senior Vice President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.

It is a position reserved for women as the other Senior Vice President is Dato Nur Azmi Ahmad.

So it is kind of baffling that Shamala was named as a member of the MHC Competitions Committee as well as a member of the Competition Working Committee.

Let's have a reality check here, Shamala is more senior in terms of hierarchy than Dato Abdul Rahim Ariff who is the MHC Vice President and Chairman of the Competition Committee.

So how is it that Shamala now occupies a position lower than the Vice President? How on earth can Dato Rahim instruct her when in reality she is his boss?

Coming back to the first meeting of the Competition Committee, those invited were from affiliates of MHC, so there should only be 16 men and 7 women affiliates present.

But when it came to the Council Meeting, each state sent one male and one women representative.

So in what capacity was Shamala present at the Competition Committee meeting?

And why is the Assistant Secretary of MHC, who is a lady, being sidelined?

A case of Shamala wanting the cake and eating it...

The Malay Mail Says...

Below is an article that appeared in The Malay Mail penned by Sports Editor Johnson Fernandez.

It was lifted with permission and titled:

Be a man, do the right thing....

KUALA LUMPUR: Since Canadian stand-up comic Russell Peters will make his debut in Malaysia on May 12, national hockey coach Tai Beng Hai should drop by for the show and heed the humourist’s famous advice: “Be a man, do the right thing.”

It was unbecoming of a national coach to open a can of worms and shift all the blame for his shortcomings on his charges, who found nothing funny about the surprising, scathing attack from the usually media-shy Beng Hai.

For more http://www.mmail.com.my/story/be-man-do-right-thing

RIP BALBIR

UPDATED

Funeral details for Balbir: Cremation would be on Tuesday April 24 at Cheras Crematorium , Jln Kuari at 1pm.

  Balbir ( 4th from left, standing) with the NS Veterans Team in Kedah last December

It is with profound sadness that I report the death of former international Balbir Singh. He was 51 years old and leaves behind three boys and his wife.

Balbir, who represented Malaysia, RMR and Yayasan Negeri Sembilan in the 1980's to 1990's, suffered a heart attack while representing Malacca Sikhs in a tournament in Singapore this afternoon (Sunday).

He was walking towards the centre of the pitch when he collapsed.

One of the first to rush to Balbir was his long time friend and team mate Gurmit Singh.

"He just collapsed and we tried to revive him. There was a faint pulse and he was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead," said Gurmit who was in tears when contacted in Singapore.

"It was all of a sudden. One minute we were joking and now he is gone. I just cannot believe it."

Balbir was a member of the YNS team in 1995 that won the Overall Championships in the MHL.

Prior to that Balbir played for RMR and served the Armed Forces for 18 years, his last post being a Sargent Mejar.

Balbir represented Negeri Sembilan in the National Veterans Tournament in Kedah last December and was instrumental in helping the team emerge champions.

"It is truly a sad day for hockey as Balbir was one of the more fitter players during his hey days. He made up for his lack of skills with hard running and was a very disciplined player. I am shocked at his demise and still cannot get over it," said MHC Vice President Manjit Majid Abdullah who is also in Singapore.

Balbir , who hails from Malacca, was a member of the three men RMR strike force that drove fear into the hearts of their opponents, the other two being Mohd Nor Hussain and Yusof Sameon.

HRH Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, the President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) who is currently attending the Asean Football Federation meeting in Manila has extended his condolences to the family of Balbir.

EXCUSES FOR FAILURE

There's a strong tendency, to overestimate the harm of failure. But the reality in sports is that third place is considered by many to be the second runner-up. 

No one remembers the scores you lose by, the margins of victory, nor your ranking, for  what matters is the position you finished in.

Anything less than winning is often perceived as “not making the grade.” It is this tendency, and lack of respect for failure, that undermines progress. That is crystal clear as so far as the hockey team is concerned in their attempt to make it to London 2012.

The topic of failure is the subject that is so often raised in our sporting fraternity.

And the failure of the national junior team in meeting the target of making it to the Olympics will be the subject of public discussions for weeks to come, unless another failure supersedes events.

We can moderate our response to failure by understanding the role of failure in the process of success. The single biggest obstacle to achieving prosperity is a lack of understanding of the essential role of failure in this process.

This prevents people from yielding the full measure of their potential. The belief that failure is bad causes immense harm. It severely restricts talent and contribution. But above all it prevents change that is so needed in Malaysian sports.

You can call it a jinx; you can call it bad luck. You can call it poor administration or poor talent. But just don't call it solely the players fault as far as the performance and third place of the national team in Dublin is concerned. For all intent and purpose the players did their level best with the limited options available to them.

This perception of failure is a threat, a roadblock, on the path of progress. It would be nice to unwrap the package known as progress, and keep the sweetness of success while rejecting the bitterness of failure. That simply is not possible.

Walt Disney was fired by a newspaper editor for lack of ideas and went bankrupt many times before he built Disneyland. 

Winston Churchill failed sixth grade and had a lifetime of defeats and setbacks until he became Prime Minister of England when he was 62.

Abraham Lincoln failed in business and lost nine times in his political career before becoming president of the United States.

Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded with the Ford Motor Company.

But can we allow that much of liberty when our society that had tasted success in the past is starved off it in the last two decades?

Success holds you accountable for the costs of your actions. You contribute to this general well-being by accepting the failures as well as the successes that come your way. If failure is viewed as an isolated occurrence, rather than an integral part of progress, it stands naked in the spotlight.

Fingers point and its judgments fly. When alone, away from the big picture of progress, failure appears harsh and unfair.

Although you could endure a brutal beating of criticism or an unhealthy round of self-condemnation, it is natural to protect yourself from such failure. However, avoidance of failure eventually impedes your progress, as seen by the attempts to deny the allegations in the report which outlined history.

There's no need to whitewash failure or to pretend that failure is an unmitigated blessing. Hence the MHC president should not seek to find solace by saying that we have a bright future ahead of us.

Mind you these were the exact words that were uttered when we finished fourth in two successive Junior world Cups and made the World Cup after 16 years in the cold.

So if there was no issue with the report submitted by the coach, why is it that the MHC President had to meet the players and spend close to 40 minutes listening and pondering on what was revealed?

One simple para answers it all, for the coach claims that Ireland benefited from players plying their trade in Europe. So why did our coach prevent players from playing in the overseas leagues? His contention is that our players should only play in top divisions. But did he check the fact that the Irish players were involved in lower divisions in clubs in England as well?

The truth will hurt because we cannot accept criticism with an open mind. However, a proactive response to failure is impossible as long as you see failure only in negative terms.

Failure serves an indispensable function in the production of any great success. It provides information and motivation for people who respond appropriately to its lessons.

Failure is part of the steering mechanism that directs an individual toward prosperity. Preventing failure is equivalent to removing the steering wheel from a moving vehicle.

Failure will be seen as undesirable. Unless it's given the respect it deserves. That's not to say that you should be fond of failure. Rather you can learn to embrace its purpose as an understated and unappreciated side of progress.

Rich lessons are the fruit of failure and you can extract them at will. Failure isn't a permanent condition unless it's regarded as such by those unwilling to ensure their own progress.

Put failure in the right perspective, it’s an opportunity for regrouping and evaluation while accepting the experience as part of the journey of success.

Perception is everything and your perception of failure is your reality! Progress depends on a constant supply of small failures.

Unless failure is understood and respected as an integral part of success, it will remain widely perceived as unnecessary and objectionable.

ALL THE PRESIDENTS MEN

At the time this posting was penned, I had yet to receive a reply from HRH Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, President of the Malaysian Hockey Confederation.

It was an opportunity that the players from the national hockey team were waiting for.

An audience with the President of MHC, to voice out their frustrations, dejection and absolute disgust with the revelation made by their coach.

Though the national team started training on Monday, the attendance has been poor to say the least and in an attempt to pacify matters, the President allowed the players to voice their opinions with regards to what was their problem with the coaching aspect.

And it is learnt that many players voiced what they had kept buried deep inside and the task of " managing " the coaches is now left to George Koshy, who incidentally could not have asked for a more " poor " birthday present but to clean up a mess that he tried to avoid from day one.

The players have said their piece, so it is crystal clear that all is not well in the national team.

With no target set, anything better than the wooden spoon at next month's Azlan Shah Cup is a bonus.

But if achieved if will be due to the desire of the players, their word to the President and nothing to do with the trainings or tactical discipline or any of the reasons attributed to our exit from the Olympics.

FOLLOW OR CHANGE BUT NOT IGNORED

Respect for any constitution can only be achieved through two things. First, the development of texts, principles, and provisions in place. 

Second, control of the non-violation of laws and regulations of articles within the Constitution. 

In other words, control of the constitutionality of laws and regulations, and the revoking of any and each article of legislation that violates provisions of the Constitution or its articles.

The Constitution  is the structure of a state and the combination of its social and legal philosophies. Therefore, it is inconceivable to leave its provisions open to interpretations and differences. 

It emphasizes "respect for the Constitution and acting upon it is necessitated by the Constitution and the existence of the state itself.

Thus it is a wonder why the Malaysian Hockey Confederation, that has within its ranks members of the royalty, a professor, several Datuk's, lawyers and top professionals pay scant respect to the very constitution that put them into office in the first place.

Let us just take a look at the breach in constitution that MHC is blatantly advocating just to serve the whims and fancies of a few officials that manipulate the provisions so serve their self interests.

 

Now look at the above clause and it is clear and precise. And MHC followed this to the book by appointing Dato Azmi Ahmad as the Chairman of the National Team Management Committee while S. Shamala was appointed the Chairperson of the High Performance Committee.

This is where the constitution was breached as they had appointed two non vice presidents as Chairman of the Umpires and Development Committees. For the uninitiated, MHC has a total of 10 Vice Presidents and another two Senior Vice Presidents.

And the Council failed in their duty yet again when they did not appoint the Treasurer as Chairman of the Finance Committee as stipulated in the above clause of the MHC Constitution.

Now we move on to the appointment of members of the respective Committees. The Constitution is clear on one thing, that the numbers are equal - in terms of both sexes. But it is silent with regards to the total number of members in a sub-committee.

The key word is in Clause 19.3 where it states that the appointment is the responsibility of the MHC Governing Council. Therefore the members ought to have been appointed at the MHC Council Meeting on April 10.

But it seems now Chairpersons of Committees are inviting a representative from each state to their first meeting and only then decide who the members will be. thus once again putting the cart before the horse as it never states that the members must be from the states.

The constitution is the constitution. Words mean things. MHC has simply ignored the constitutional limitations placed upon it. We now see the whirlwind such a practice reaps.

We take our word seriously. We take our constitution seriously.  We either need to amend the constitution or abide by it. There is no acceptable middle ground.

I challenge the affiliates and office bearers to make  a stand as you know what is right and wrong. However you think , the end result that we must agree is that the process be constitutional.

Stand up and be counted and demand that the constitution of MHC is either followed or changed – but not ignored.

JUNIOR ASIA CUP FIXTURES

Thu 3 May 12	01	17h00	1	A	Korea		v.	Japan
	02	19h00	1	A	Malaysia		v.	Iran
Fri 4 May 12	03	17h00	1	B	Pakistan		v.	China
	04	19h00	1	B	India		v.	Sri Lanka
Sat 5 May 12	05	17h00	1	A	Japan		v.	Iran
	06	19h00	1	A	Malaysia		v.	Korea
Sun 6 May 12	07	15h00	1	B	China		v.	Sri Lanka
	08	17h00	1	B	India		v.	Pakistan
	09	19h00	1	A	Korea		v.	Iran
Mon 7 May 12	10	15h00	1	B	China		v.	India
	11	17h00	1	B	Pakistan		v.	Sri Lanka
	12	19h00	1	A	Japan		v.	Malaysia
Tue 8 May 12		Rest Day
Wed 9 May 12	13	17h00	1	05-08	3rd Pool A		V	4th Pool B
	14	19h30	1	05-08	3rd Pool B		v	4th Pool A
Thu 10 May 12	15	17h00	1	01-04	1st Pool A		v	2nd Pool B
	16	19h30	1	01-04	1st Pool B		v	2nd Pool A
Fri 11 May 12		Rest Day
Sat 12 May 12	17	16h00	1	07-08	Loser Match 13		v	Loser Match 14
	18	18h30	1	05-06	Winner Match 13		v	Winner Match 14
Sun 13 May 12	19	16h00	1	03 – 04	Loser Match 15		v.	Loser Match 16
	20	18h30	1	01 – 02	Winner Match 15		v.	Winner Match 16