Twentytwo13

KL Hockey Association in crisis after two postponements of its AGM

Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, a candidate for president, expressed his frustration and accused the current leadership, headed by former international I. Vickneswaran, of introducing outsiders to the proceedings.

Just what is happening at the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association (KLHA)?

The two postponements of its Annual General Meeting have raised concerns regarding the management of the association.

KLHA had initially called for an AGM on Dec 28, 2024. However, a letter dated Dec 24, 2024, explained it would be delayed because it had not received “the audited accounts from the external auditors”.

Under Clause 15 of the KLHA Constitution, an AGM can only be held once it has the audited accounts. One can’t help but wonder why KLHA had called for an AGM without having these crucial documents.

Why rush to call an AGM when the documents weren’t ready? Why did it take so long to audit the accounts? Who is responsible for this?

By calling for an AGM without the audited accounts, KLHA had set itself up for failure.

On Jan 25, 2025, the AGM was once again postponed after several candidates and members were initially denied entry to the meeting, held in a hotel.

Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin (main image), a candidate for president, expressed his frustration and accused the current leadership, headed by former international I. Vickneswaran, of introducing outsiders to the proceedings.

Observers at the venue reported that ‘bouncers’ were preventing some affiliates from entering the premises due to alleged forgery in the nomination papers. Megat Shahriman was eventually allowed into the meeting, but moments later, Vickneswaran called off the AGM.

It should be noted that Vickneswaran told a press conference on Jan 23 that KLHA found issues with three signatures on the nomination from the Megat Shahriman-led Kuala Lumpur Hockey Sports Education Association (HockAcademy).

KLHA then nullified the nominations of all candidates from the Megat Shahriman-led HockAcademy, and suspended HockAcademy until further notice.

Vickneswaran also produced a police report KLHA filed against Megat Shahriman over the alleged forged signatures.

However, if the suspicious signatures were for only one candidate, why were all the nominations nullified? Also, can KLHA suspend an affiliate without first calling for a disciplinary board meeting?

Having said that, Megat Shahriman must explain the allegation of the forged signatures – did he or his team do it? If yes, why, since there were no issues with his nomination?

Additionally, if KLHA felt it was in the right, why not go ahead with the AGM?

Vickneswaran and Megat Shahriman should have a face-to-face meeting to resolve the disputes and focus on developing hockey, as the sport has fallen on hard times in recent years.

The once-thriving KLHA league must be revived, and the association must negotiate with City Hall to resume management of the hockey stadium in Jalan Pantai.

KLHA must put its house in order to regain the trust of its affiliates.