SPORTS Commissioner (PJS) Suhardi Alias, has urged the Selangor Table Tennis Association (STTA) to resolve its internal issues first before submitting a complaint to his office.
He explained that every legally registered association must act according to the correct channels and find a solution and not immediately jump to other alternatives
"When there is a dispute between the association and its members, the matter must be resolved under Section 23 of the Sports Development Act.
"Every sports body must resolve disputes that arise among its members or with the committee or governing body according to the internal procedures set out in the regulations.
"If there are parties who are still aggrieved by the decision of the internal committee, then they can submit a complaint to the parent body, which is the STTA," he told the media, today.
He added that if the matter still fails to be resolved, the relevant party can refer to the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) to seek views and be a mediator to resolve the problems.
"If the parties concerned are still not satisfied, then they can refer to Section 24 of the Sports Development Act ... that is, they refer to the Sports Disputes Committee. Only then will we intervene. We cannot intervene early because under this act, they have to follow the existing regulations," said Suhardi.
Earlier, the Honorary Secretary of the STTA, Lim Kian Aik claimed that there were eight individuals who held an Annual General Meeting (AGM) and appointed a new leadership without the presence of the existing committee.
He said that the AGM held on May 3 should have been cancelled but it was still held on that date.
"So, today we went to file a complaint that the new committee that has taken over is actually illegal and was carried out without our knowledge as members of the existing committee.
"The AGM should have been postponed, we have already held a meeting before to postpone it and no one objected.
"We also filed a police report in addition to demanding a detailed investigation from PJS," he added.
It was also earlier reported that Suhardi Alias was investigating the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) over concerns involving misconduct, governance, and election procedures.
In a latest update, sources revealed that president Mohammed Iqbal Ali Kassim Ali, along with Dr Arun Kumar Beshamber Nath who is the deputy president and honorary treasurer Amarjeet Singh Wazir Singh, along with several committee members had adhered strictly to the procedures under the Sports Development Act.
The sources claimed that the opposing faction led by past MCA president Mahinda Vallipuram , who now claims leadership of MCA though unrecognised by the Sports Commissioner, had jumped the gun when the vice president (also claiming to be acting president ) initiated legal actions against Iqbal and team, without following the guidelines set by the Sports Development Act.
It is learnt that they called for an EGM to 'bulldoze' their way into having the AGM and claim leadership. At the moment there seems to be a status quo.
Suhardi later acknowledged that there are elements of misconduct and foul play within the association and is investigating the matter. - June 4, 2025
