Historical MCF meet the parents at NAG

According to Najib, the event chair, this is the first time that MCF has conducted such an event. This is indeed a welcome new transparency to chess. Lim Tse Pin started the event off by explaining the importance of National rating and the new rules and fees to event organisers in the future. The fee increase sounds a little stiff to me and I wonder how it will affect future tournaments. I hope if it causes a problem MCF will be responsive but for now the new rules and fees is a start to some regulation at least for tournaments, as there were complaints that some tournaments did not turn out as advertised.

At this point I would like to acknowledge Puan Adzlin's contribution. She has been pushing for this dialogue with MCF. In fact the very first criteria for NAG etc. that first appeared on this blog was via an email correspondence between Puan Adzlin and Greg. I hope this shows that parents can influence change. Of course it takes 2 hands to clap and kudos to MCF for responding with equal vigour.

The event almost turned into a PICA thing when the next speaker, Tuan Haji Ibrahim started by talking about little Napoleans and people who are not team players while looking directly at me. A little awkward to say the least as this wasn't the forum for that discussion but I felt a limited response from me was necessary. I tried to explain that little Napoleans are the people who do not follow the rules and the constitution and act ultra vires. I hope the point was understood.

As for team playing, this is my point. I have made my stand on principle; transparency and healthy competition. In another conversation I was asked to drop the matter. Now this is possible if it was a personal matter which it is not. For me to drop the matter would be for me to become "opaque", to condone unhealthy competitions. And that I am not willing to do. That is why I stress in my writings that principles must be the underlying fundamental factor of any alliance or it is impossible to act as a "Team".

Anyway it looked a little bleak for me for a while as I could feel the crowd not liking the direction the dialogue was going and I felt that I could not totally ignore the attack from the podium. But things turned around when Haji Ibrahim said that MCF could not support anyone who was not a member of an affiliate, in reference to me of course, as I have been expelled from PICA without any due process or chance of defence. Puan Zurin and Puan Adzlin took immediate offence and attacked that point. Puan Adzlin is of course more aware of what happened because she was involved in helping me get sponsors for Syuen and had followed the sequence of events. See here. But after that many spoke up and that changed a few minds.

Conversation with Greg, Haslinda, Puan Adzlin and I.

I was informed that Haji Ibrahim had a change of heart and is now in favour of a fair hearing. That has been all I asked for. A chance to clear my name of these false accusations. I told them that I have resorted to this blog because there is no other avenue left to me. Lets hope they come through on this. Greg now has the constitution of PICA. There is no provision for my expulsion. There is the provision for the expulsion of members if they bring the Association into ill repute. But note the sequence of events. I was first expelled as a committee member and then expelled as a member. Wrong order. And to expel me as a member, they have to prove that I brought the Association into ill repute. The charges must be specified and I have the right of appeal at the AGM. All of these were denied me. Now the interesting point would be what happens if it was the rest of the committee that brought the Association into ill repute? What if my allegations are found to be true? Do all that were involved get sacked as members? I believe this hearing is important. I believe that Associations and officials need to follow the rules and the constitution too.

Maybe Haji Ibrahim's intention was to bring some life into a slightly sleepy event. If that was his intention, he succeeded. And I hope he is gracious enough to now accept my point as I have been informed he has. So I would like to thank MCF in advance for looking into the genuine grievances of all stakeholders in chess.