TOO CLOSE TO CALL
Fight for men’s deputy president’s post takes spotlight as 11 affiliates back AGM
THE Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) have received letters from 11 affiliates backing an Annual General Meeting preceding the elections tomorrow.
This is seen as a bid to pre-empt the move by the Kedah HA council, who had sent a letter to the Sports Commissioner’s Office seeking for the elections to be postponed while the issue of two nominations being sent by the state is sorted out.
Kedah HA president Asmirul Anuar Aris had come out to state that the nomination form with his signature on it and sent on Oct 24 is the valid one.
MHC have 16 affiliates — the 14 states as well as Police and Armed Forces. A total of 32 votes will be cast to decide the next men’s deputy president and seven vicepresidents (two of whom must be women).
President Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal and women’s deputy president Datuk S. Shamala have already been returned unopposed.
Based on nominations, it looks like the two women vice-presidents likely to be elected are Sarawak HA president Mary Sadiah Zainuddin and Malacca HA vice-president Rogayah Mohamed, who each received 14 and 13 nominations respectively.
Their challengers — Datuk Seri Lim Kim Lian and Juriah Abdul Wahab — received one nomination each.
Eleven men will battle for the five vice-president’s posts, with Sabah HA president Datuk Seri Anil Jeet Singh leading the way with 14 nominations.
The most interesting fight, though, will be between MHC legal chairman Jadadish Chandra and Kuala Lumpur HA (KLHA) president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman for the men’s deputy president’s post.
Megat is a newcomer to hockey, having only won the KLHA elections in June.
He was the Negri Sembilan Canoe president before being elected to the top post in the Malaysia Canoe Association (Masca) in 2018.
Megat was also involved in a tussle with former Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin for the post of Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC) in June. The elections, however, were shelved after delegates agreed to postpone it during their AGM and sort out nomination issues.
Despite his short stint in sports, Megat will now try to become second-in-charge in MHC.
Should he beat Jadadish, Megat will have to relinquish his post as KLHA president because their constitution does not allow an elected member to also hold a position in the parent body.
Lawyer Jadadish sits in the law committee of MHC and is also a council member-cum-lawyer of the BA of Malaysia.
Jadadish, who is also the Selangor BA secretary, is well known for defending former national shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei and national No 1 hockey goalkeeper S. Kumar when they duo faced doping charges.
A third candidate for the deputy president’s post, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim, had 14 nominations but bowed out due to negative developments leading to the elections.
As things stand, it’s anybody’s guess who the delegates will vote for in the fight to be second in command.