On Parents and Associations.

A friend contacted me to ask if I wasn't a bit harsh in my comments on parents. Ref: Here.

Maybe. But is it truthful? Let me put it this way. I am sharing my experience. I wish someone had done the same for me before I got involved in PICA. That was a very unpleasant experience. The point is this. Most parents are relatively new. And so most parents go into the associations without knowing the history. And so after my postings, I hope more will go in with their eyes open.

A committee is about legal collective responsibility. The actions of a few affect all.

Let me share more from my PICA experience here. At the time of the meeting with DKLS that was also attended by Dato Tan, I informed both Dato and the President of PICA that I wanted to resign from the committee of PICA. I told Dato this because he asked me to handle the KLK money on behalf of the association.

My concern was that I was kept in the dark about many things in the committee and I did not want to be held responsible for the action of others. When I was in PICA, they were fond of saying that we must work at a team. But we weren't functioning as a team. Many side decisions were made in the dark.

For instance, once the money is banked in, I have no control on disbursements.

So how can I be held legally responsible for that?

At that time I said on the side of the meeting that I wanted to leave. So really there was no reason to sack me. But Dato had asked me to handle the KLK money; DKLS was my contact.

Therefore I think the sacking was done because they were worried that the money won't go to them when I leave. Does that make sense? So they would prefer to try to destroy my reputation rather than pitch for it themselves. I never tried to block them. In fact I arranged for the meeting.

That is why no reason was given for the sacking. I think they would be very hard pressed to show cause.

So parents and people new in committees, I hope you now know some of the things that can happen. Keep your eyes open. If it can happen in PICA, it can also happen elsewhere.

And going back to Mamak's point about me "hating" Greg because he did not solve my sacking issue. Actually I only kept Greg informed because I wanted to know how MCF would handle an illegal sacking since he was a relatively new Secretary at that time. It is important to know the character of the person you are dealing with.

If you look back, you will see that I have worked with him many times since the sacking. So there is no hate on my side. I was only seeking to understand.

Another inaccuracy is that I never blamed Mok. Ref: Here. Look back. I have always put the responsibility squarely on Jimmy. He is the person responsible for the posting of the lies.

But back to the main point again. There is a lot of chatter about involving MACC in Malaysian chess. And this is not from me but from independent others. All committee members will be held accountable whether you are involved or not. Ask to see the constitution. You cannot plead ignorance of the law. Once you take the position the law will make the assumption that you are involved.

So for those already in the committees, it is your right to ask for the accounts. That right is vested in the constitution of the Association. And you are legally responsible for exercising that right. Open your eyes. Don't become an innocent victim.

In this context, I don't think my comments on parents is too harsh.

It's actually the converse. Parents may be the only independent force on the committee if they wake up. All the rest are probably too entrenched in our 30 plus year system.

ps: Fyi, Dato Tan is kept apprised of my postings when he is referenced.