Why Hide Behind The Cloak of the Internet? (LTAM website)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20, 2012– It has been quite some time since I last wrote this column. I must say this column is not only meant to share with our readers of LTAM’s plans but also to provide our side of the story, given the fact that we are seldom being granted the right of reply in the mainstream media. Our detractors seem to thrive on other people’s modesty and civility. I was wrong to think these “sick people” have repented. Recently there has been another spate of e-mails but from a different person purported to be from somebody by the name of BS Sidhu. I’m not too sure if these e-mails are from the same “sick people” working under disguise. Sad to say, the allegations and accusations are again unsubstantiated, disjointed and manipulated. Unfortunately, they warrant the attention of those who do not know about tennis activities and its development in the country. Nevertheless the allegations are indeed serious, written with malice and evil intention solely meant to deliver character assassination on me as President of LTAM. However, I am happy as he has boldly put his name and address and I presumed, he really meant what he alleged. Let me share something with our readers. Tennis is full of funny characters. There is one particular father who is known to harass and abuse officials, parents, coaches, his own kids and other kids resulting in him being banned by a State association. LTAM decided not to interfere. We remained above the fray and did not take any action against him as this may be interpreted as victimising his kids’ involvement in tennis. But this fellow has gone to great lengths to discredit LTAM and me. Should LTAM entertain a person like him who also has a couple of police reports against him? The sad thing these reports have racial insinuations. If go unabated will create problems within the tennis fraternity. If this fellow is the same individual who wrote and attached these allegations in his e-mails, then he has given me the opportunity to take action against him by bringing him into the ring. It is difficult to “box” with your opponent if he keeps on throwing stones and insults from outside the ring. We did call him through one of our Exco to engage with us by meeting the LTAM Exco on the 18 May recently but he declined. Again I have been forced to lodge a police report, similar to that I made against a retired Army Lieutenant Colonel. I hope this will give him the opportunity to substantiate his allegations against me and I can clear my name once and for all. I am pretty sure the allegations come from a group of individuals who hide behind the cloak of the Internet.I am not going to waste column inches and answer all these allegations on this Tie Break Corner. Why should I be shooting at an invisible target? Some may accuse me of a lot of things. For their information, I did not charge my expenses incurred on behalf of LTAM and the reason why I am able to source for funds and sponsorship to support LTAM all this while is due to the trust I have acquired. We, at LTAM work very hard to organize events like the WTA and ATP, to secure good sponsorships so that we can channel some money towards other LTAM development activities. For everybody’s information, I run a business with an annual turnover of RM100 million per year, with interests in power plant, sports and event management and oil and gas. I am not cheap to squander LTAM’s funds of few thousands. In fact my companies had no choice but to issue payments in advance to LTAM with substantial sums, during the early years of my presidency. Substantial sum were converted to sponsorship, because there is none or when there is sponsorship it did not come in on time, more often than not after the event. To make sure the event goes on I have to unwillingly advance my money first and all these are properly accounted for. Through these unidentifiable e-mails, letters and short messages they manipulated this situation and accused me of squandering LTAM’s money. If they are really serious with their allegations please reveal yourselves and not hide behind these poison e-mails, letters and short messages? I feel saddened that my sincerity in developing tennis has been put to question by people who themselves have done little as stakeholders to develop the game. On another issue, the Forum Board for LTAM office bearers which is used to discuss certain issues and matters before they are formally accepted at our monthly Exco meeting, are not the full thread produced in the poison e-mails and letters. The Forum Board was created as a platform for office bearers to express their opinion without fear or favour. It has helped us make timely decisions as we can only meet once a month due to the nature of the composition of the Office Bearers who are mainly outside the Klang Valley. Certain contents of the Forum Board have been leaked by an insider. Well! This is beyond my control as officials are nominated and elected by the State Affiliates who are members of LTAM. I have no control with regards to the competency and trustworthiness of these office bearers other than on a trial and error basis since September 2005. On one hand State Affiliates want to be represented so that they know the activities of LTAM first hand. On the other, such representation has been subjected to abuse all this while. Even though all matters are agreed by the majority at all times, the disgruntled minority unhappy with the decision is not professional enough to keep things within themselves. We have proof of who downloaded them as we maintain the Forum Board ourselves! Let it be known to everybody, I am here to make things right for tennis. The state of affairs of tennis before I took over in September 2005 was really in shambles. I am sorry if I make the minority unhappy and I am not wrong to state these poison e-mails, letters and short messages are the work of some previous office bearers of LTAM who were “kicked out” by the majority Council Members because of their, I quote in their own words in the poison e-mails and letters, “was infested with cronyism, nepotism, discrimination, conflict of interests, financial abuses, hindrance to tennis and player’s development, ineffective and incompetent tennis development, no integrity, no transparency, no credibility. LTAM brought to disrepute by their administration”. The Constitution states the Council sits only every year unless there is an Extraordinary General Meeting. The Agenda to be discussed are very clear as stated in the Constitution and we have been following it ever since. The day to day activities of LTAM are decided by the elected office bearers as dictated by the Constitution. If at the Council Meetings you have not been entertained that is beyond my power as I am guided by the majority. How come I am accused of manipulating the decisions at LTAM Council Meeting when the majority chose not to? May be the majority of the Council Members are fed up with cowards and so called “actors” who were given the opportunity to run LTAM before but are preaching from the pulpit, not actually practising what they preach! Except for 2007, why during the last BGM I won uncontested and interesting enough I don’t belong to any State Affiliates. This means if any Council Members do not nominate me, I cannot be President!!!It saddens me that some people choose to play blind and dumb to the things that we have done. I believe we are on the right track. Compare our packed Calendar of Events with those not during my time. Only time will tell as we can only play the role of facilitator to facilitate the development of our players. Let our detractors play “evil” politics behind the cloak of the internet! - www.ltam.org.my Rest assured it is not the nomination that matters most to me. I will not overstay my welcome if I am no longer able to secure sufficient sponsorships to support LTAM’s development activities even though I may get majority votes from Council to remain as President. It saddens me that some people choose to play blind and dumb to the things that we have done. I believe we are on the right track. Compare our packed Calendar of Events with those not during my time. Only time will tell as we can only play the role of facilitator to facilitate the development of our players. Let our detractors play “evil” politics behind the cloak of the internet!