Another General Meeting

Two days ago I attended my secondary school's former students' association annual general meeting at Putrajaya. Under the association's constitution our office bearers serve two year terms. Since the last office bearers' elections were held only last year there are no elections this time around. See my story just two posts before this one.

Since this association is run voluntarily there were no campaigns done prior to our biannual office bearers' elections. In fact the same bunch of office bearers had been reelected over and over again. I can honestly say that there are members who are afraid to attend the annual general meetings for fear of being elected as office bearers.

The association also did not have much money. In fact our treaurer did not have much to do. We also have our own golf and bowling committees and they manage their own finances.

This is about to change. One of our members who had become a succesfull businessman pledged to donate a tidy sum of money to the association. This prompted our President to suggest that in future we might experience campaigning among our members to to hold office. He referred to his experience as a politician. When there is nothing to fight for everyone is reluctant to hold office. But when there is something big for grabs we would see intense fighting just to be elected to hold office.

It did not take long for my President's words to be proven true. Hardly fifteen hours after he uttered those words there were fracas at the Seremban UMNO Division annual general meeting. I saw on TV and read on the newspapers that fists were swung and chairs thrown. Some of the faces I saw are of persons known to me.

This happened at an elite golf club named after our state ruler. They say that golf is a gentleman's game. I never heard of golfers fighting on the runways. Surely they don't fight in their club house. I am sure now that the golf club commitee members will think twice in letting their club house to be used by political parties for their functions.

What a contrast to my association's annual general meeting which was held at a place similar to the one in Seremban. The only difference being in Putrajaya the place is a hotel cum golf club while in Seremban it is only a golf club.

The political party members fought simply because there were many things to fight for. To be elected for divisional party posts means the winners will have strong grounds to be awarded contracts by the main party provided they are still in power. When the nation's General Elections comes they would be among the first to be considered as candidates. If they win here they will bear the title of Yang Berhormat.

But if the main party is not in power or in other words in the opposition we would see a situation just like a school's fomer students association. Members have to be coaxed just to stand as office bearers.

What I don't want to see is fists swinging and chairs flying during my school's former students association annual general meeting.