Seeking help from sports dispute committee to solve issues in MGF

PETALING JAYA: An affiliate member is hoping for cool heads to prevail among the stakeholders ahead of the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) on June 14.

Kuala Lumpur Gymnastics Association vice president Ti Deng Jay has voiced out his concern over the ongoing turmoil within MGF.

He described the current instability as stemming from poor leadership, persistent power struggles and poor governance, rooted largely in a lack of understanding and adherence to the federation’s own constitution, the Sports Development Act and relevant by-laws.

“The recent admission of few new state gymnastics associations, widely seen as a move by certain individuals to consolidate voting power ahead of the AGM only highlights the worsening state of affairs,” said Deng Jay.

“Of equal concern are the questionable decisions made in the lead-up to the AGM, including the unilateral appointments of key individuals and legal advisor by the president, the suspension of the Kedah Gymnastics Association without proper due process and the appointment of the returning officer, a power vested in the council, being executed solely by the president.

“Additionally, the exercise of so-called ‘veto power,’ which is not provided for anywhere in the federation’s constitution and the granting of voting rights to affiliate members who were not elected through an AGM, has further eroded the legitimacy of governance,” said Deng Jay in a statement.

The current term of the MGF leadership ended on March 31 but the AGM has since been delayed until June 14.

“Thus all the decisions made during this period were effectively by individuals whose mandate has technically expired,” he added.

Deng Jay also pointed out that efforts to escalate these issues through the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and the Sports Commissioner’s Office have so far proven ineffective, mainly due to procedural delays and the urgency of the matter with the AGM just days away.

He added: “The formal complaint must first be submitted to OCM before it reaches the Sports Commissioner’s office and thus,too slow to allow for timely intervention.”

Deng Jay is also hoping for the Sports Dispute Committee (SDC) to intervene.

“On the other hand, the SDC continue to be overwhelmed with an existing backlog of cases, leaving critical matters like these unaddressed in a timely manner,” he said.