Wednesday, December 31, 2008

CONFLICT OF INTEREST?


Questions are being raised with regards to the appointments of several personalities as Team Managers and Coaches of the various National Teams as announced by the MHF last Saturday.

While I will not discuss the merits of the appointments, a conversation I had with an old friend from Seremban stirred my interest in the subject and I wish to put forward arguments on this matter for the benefit of those who make the effort to follow this blog of mine.

Should George Koshy (pix above) the current President of the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association be required to vacate his position to take up the National Team Manager's position?

KLHA has an unwritten rule I am told, that if appointed by MHF, then that personality has to vacate his seat in KLHA. But why was this not the case when Tan Sri Noordin Hassan was appointed as MHF Vice President and National Juniors Team Manager in the 90's?

Its an unjust rule and something needs to be done, failing which those like George, Tuan Haji Johari and Rajamanickam will have to quit KLHA and thus effectively rendering the association crippled. George Koshy is all hockey, passionate and I fear all these politicking and back biting may lead to hockey losing another good administrator and leader. Don't let this get to you George, you built E&Y and go on doing the great job you have been doing. I was in YNS and we faced the same arguments, that we pinched players, those who sulk will get no where.

Going back to the question of conflict of interest, I agree that NSC should not play such a dominant role in MHF, and this has got to stop. The DG should be responsible towards all the high performance sports and if he is concerned about hockey, they why not FAM. Should he not also sit on the FAM Exco? But the position of NSC and NSI is as advisory on the Council and not during decision making processes. Those in MHF in the past realised this and did not allow themselves to be bullied.

Though i understand that the DG of NSC was invited by the President of MHF to sit on the Management Committee, he should highlight the conflict of interest issue and advive His Majesty accordingly. You cannot be the judge, jury and executioner, period.

Hockey needs a professional approach and all those in it should work together and not use it for personal gains. Thus I appeal to those running MHF now, be it the corridors of power or beyond that, look at developing the game from bottom, merging the leagues is a bad decision and will haunt you in the years to come.

Go to the schools, re-invent the Champion Schools, get the district leagues moving , the state leagues running, bring back the Champions Club to spur interest amongst disctricts, start a schools league as a pre-requisite to qualifying for Champion Schools and above all do something and stop politicking.