FGM's wish for 2013.

Happy New Year to the entire chess community.

Before I tell you what my wish is for the new year, let me define what I mean by wish. I do not believe in sitting down and hoping for my wishes to come true by divine intervention but by finding actionable steps that I can take to make that wish come true.

So let me take you back to the conversations I had during NJ with parents, trainers and players alike. Somebody came up to me and asked me to be a one stop center for complaints about MCF. I said I won't do that. That is not the point. Then somebody else complaint that KLCA has done nothing for KL chess. And yet somebody else said that there is now a disciplinary committee for MCF and they have written a demand letter to Megat, the Treasurer of MCF etc etc.

Note: All different people mind you.

Ok, ok, we all know there is a big problem with MCF. So what can we do if lets say our wish list for 2013 is for clean and fair selection, to stop the illegal banning of our players, for a MCF that is transparent and properly governed?

Let us go back to the rules of chess. This is what I tell my players. If your opponent has made an illegal move, you must put up you hand and call for the arbiter. The point is only you can do that. You cannot complain to your coach after the game is lost. What can I do? There is a proper system to address this issue and so you must learn to use that system. If you are not satisfied with the ruling of the arbiter, then ask for the chief arbiter. If you are still not satisfied then make an appeal to the appeals committee. The players must take that responsibility for once the clock has started the coach cannot do anything more. Do you see the analogy?

So how does this reflect on what I am saying about my wish? Ok, lets go back to the constitution of MCF again. Here.  I am not going to go through this article by article. I think you should do that yourself if it is important to you. What does it say? Doesn't it say that the AGM is the highest decision making body? Doesn't it say that the affiliates can propose resolutions that is binding on the committee?

So why fret about the ultra vires acts of the current committee? Doesn't the constitution say how the committee/sub committee must be constituted? Doesn't it say who can be Chairman? Doesn't it say that the power granted to the sub committee must come from explicit terms mandated by the main committee? So know the rules. If the rules have been broken, then reject it at the AGM. Just like in a chess tournament, put up your hand and object.

You do not have to adopt their accounts if you are not satisfied with it. You do not have to worry about disciplinary action by an illegally constituted disciplinary committee. Reject their findings and censure their actions at the AGM. That is the proper way.

Propose and pass resolutions at the AGM. No more back doors and kup chai's playing for Malaysia. Propose for more State representation on the committee in order to have a national strategy. So why worry about what those few people are doing?

If even one State affiliate disagrees with the accounts say, that affiliate can forward that complaint to COS. Everything is already provided in the structure of COS to stop this nonsense. All you need to do is to use it.

My friends, you are the players in that game, so know the rules. You cannot keep running to the coach to solve all your problems. Put up your hands when your rights have been transgressed upon.

You see, if we the adults cannot do this, then how can we teach our children to call for the arbiter? Can we hope that their opponent will call for the arbiter and volunteer that they have made an illegal move? We cannot, can we?

So if your rights have been taken away then you put up your hand and complain according to the rules. Stop sitting down and hoping your opponent or your coach or anybody else will solve your problems for you. Your opponent won't and your coach cannot. He has no power once the clock has started. It is really up to you.

If you think KLCA is not an Association, then get a resolution passed that defines what a State Affiliate must do to be allowed to be or to remain one. These are not insurmountable problems. If your rights as a player has been taken away then write to your State Association and then cc that complaint to MCF and COS if no action is taken.

Do that for our children will follow our examples and not just what we say. If you cannot stand up and demand your rights according to the constitution then your children will not. If your State cannot stand up for their rights then their State players will not.

Gangsters work by intimidating you while they steal away your rights. If there are gangsters in MCF supporting the gangsters outside, then don't elect them in again. The power is with you. But you must use it. You must put up your own hands.

So my friends, that is my wish for you for 2013. Courage to make the difference. And if you can do that, I am very sure our GM is not far away. That my friends are the true lessons of chess. So don't just say you love the game and want a GM but expect your opponents or your coach to do it all for you. It's really up to you. All I can do is to show you the door. You need to do the work yourself. That is the nature of the game.

Lets welcome 2013 in together with a new spirit. The true spirit of Malaysia Boleh. Not just the slogan.