ACBO Final part

It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.

-- James Gordon, M.D.

Ref: Here.

Patronage. It is not for me to comment on Dato Tan's contributions to chess. I can only see a small part. But I think I can safely look at the here and now and from my personal experience.

I think MCF has made strong strides in the last 2 years and the single most important factor that can change our story of chess woes is an independent and strong MCF.

The cry for written selection criteria was from the perception that there is biasness. And so it finally came. That is good. But my experience in PICA shows that any gain can also be rapidly reversed and all the work can come to nothing. The perception is also that sponsors attempt to influence selection and the policies of MCF.

Is that good or bad? Debatable for some.

But let us look at some recent past examples. A RM2 million sponsorship proposal lead to the unconstitutional sacking of an official. An attempt to bring training for our National Players before International Tournaments lead to slander of the sponsors. A call for written selection brought on the most vicious and venomous attacks on the blogs.

In my mind this is an indication of hidden forces to prevent the entry of new sponsors to chess. Sponsors that want things done the right way.

If there are no new sponsors, MCF has no new options. They will be unable to sustain their independence over time and this can lead to a reversal of policies eventually.

So I suggest, keep the old sponsors and patrons if they still want to stay and contribute but allow the entry of new sponsorship. Then we may see a difference. The achievers will now have better odds. They can fight over the table. Fide rules. And if they do well, they can also achieve, excel. Their progress will no longer be determined by non chess criteria. They now have choices.

That is why I feel MCF has to look into the unconstitutional sacking, the slanderous anonymous blogs. This will allow the entry of new players and allow MCF to remain independent. To order the chess community without fear or favour.

So Najib, not everything has been tried. This hasnt been tried. And until this has been tried, we will not know whether its because of too much food on the table or otherwise that has prevented our first GM from coming.

ps: Question. If that RM2 million sponsorship had been allowed entry, would we be further up the road now towards that first GM? It's been more than a year now.