Open letter to MCF Selection Committee

Dear MCF Selection committee members,

I have tried appealing privately to you regarding this year's selection for the men's olympiad team. Unfortunately, I did not get a valid reply from any of the committee members for my query. Every member is offering various explanations which differ from one another on how Mr. Fadzil Nayan was automatically selected to represent Malaysia for the olympiad without the need for a playoff.

Here I am disclosing the contents of my interaction with you in the hope that the Malaysian chess public becomes aware of the situation in hand. :

-My first email
Dated : May 18 2014
Recipients : Mr. Lim Tse Pin (selection committee member, chief arbiter of selection tournament), Mr. Kamaruddin (selection committee chairman), Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin Deputy Chairman/Honorary Secretary of the Malaysian Chess Federation

Content :

 

Dear MCF selection committee members,

I have just become aware that the MCF selection committee has decided that there SHOULD NOT be a playoff between Mr. Fadzil Nayan and me and that he will automatically be the fifth player to play for the men's team in the Olympiad. This piece of news confuses me as I have been assured, again and again by the tournament director, Mr. Lim Tse Pin that the player who gets third in the second selection amongst these players : Lim Yee Weng, Fong Yit San, Fadzil Nayan and Sumant would be allowed to go in case one of the original team members does not wish to go. I sure do hope MCF will honour its obligations made to me. It has been my dream to play for Malaysia since I was very young and lots of sacrifices have been made by myself and my parents in order for me to come close to achieving what I want. On the journey to the selection, I beat the current National champion and Mr. Fadzil Nayan in the national closed and Fadzil finished lower. I then played the Masters and had the right to reserve place via playoff. As Mr. Fadzil opted out citing whatever reason, the conclusion MCF and its officials gave me was that either I am in or I will have to play the playoffs at a later date. I sympathize with Mr. Fadzil's stress but at the end of the day we played on equal terms. But now I'm told that Fadzil is in and I'm out when I have complied with whatever expected. Why no explanation was given to me by MCF is just beyond comprehension.

With all due respect, I kindly insist MCF to honour its own rules and obligations and to conduct the playoff between me and Fadzil. Please reply with an explanation as soon as possible. I do not wish this matter to go unresolved as the closing date for the entries to Olympiad on 1st of June is fast approaching. Thank you very much.

Yours sincerely,

Sumant Subramaniam <end of email>

Reply from Kamaruddin on May 19th :

Terima Kasih kerana En. Sumant mempunyai semangat yang tinggi dalam sukan catur.

Saya juga telah dan boleh menerima surat En. Sumant kirimkan melalui email. Tapi malangnya saya tak dapat membawa surat En. Sumant  itu ke Mesyuarat Tertinggi MCF sebab mesyuarat telah bersidang dan memutuskan keputusan untuk pemain yang bermain dalam sukan catur berpasukan lelaki olimpik pada tahun ini. Nama En. Sumant telah tidak disenaraikan dalam sukan catur berpasukan lelaki olimpik tersebut, harap maaf.

Dalam Mesyurat Tertinggi MCF itu, surat En. Fadzil Nayan sahaja yang telah saya terima dan dibincangkan. Memandangkan pada masa itu hanya En.Fadzil Nayan saja yang telah menunjukkan minat, maka Mesyurat Tertinggi MCF memutuskan En. Fadzil Nayan dimasukkan kedalam pasukan lelaki Olimpik bagi MENGANTI pemain yang menarik diri dan tiada bermain semula (play off) diadakan.

Segala kesulitan amat saya kesali. Saya berharap En. Sumant jangan berputus asa dan mencuba lagi di masa yang akan datang atau berkemungkinan ada penarikan diri lagi disaat akhir oleh pemain yang telah terpilih.

Sekian, Terima Kasih.

Yang Benar,

Kamaruddin Bin Samsuri
Pengerusi Pemilihan Pemain MCF. <end of email>


My follow up on May 19th:

Dear Mr. Lim,

Please refer to the below. Mr. Kamaruddin makes it clear that I was not chosen for the sole reason Mr. Fadzil has put in a request in writing to the selection committee before the date of presiding expressing interest to play in the olympiad. If that is true, why was I not informed that I had to put in a word myself? Instead, you have continuously led me to believe there will be a playoff between me and Mr. Fadzil and I had no reason to doubt your authority on the matter as you were appointed as the tournament director by the SELECTION COMMITTEE and by that your powers in conducting the tournament and imposing playoff conditions are unquestionable. It saddens me as MCF seems to be under the impression that a voting process could be held to decide whether a certain regulation should be IMPLEMENTED. When in actual fact, a voting process could only be used to decide on the CRITERION and the RULES AND REGULATIONS beforehand and therefore any implementation should be done according to the rules and regulations imposed beforehand. This continuously differing statements offered by various parties for why I was not given a chance for a playoff makes me wonder if the selection meeting was done in a transparent manner at all; and if the discussions are based off the already set rules and regulations. Please clarify me on this matter as soon as possible.

Thank you very much,

Sumant  <end of email>

Lim Tse Pin's reply on May 19th:

Dear Tengku,

Kamaruddin is not given the correct info in his replied to Sumant (listed below). I've shown the letter written by Sumant to the Whole Council where both Tan Sri and Muammar were aware of such letter and Muammar was holding both the letters during the meeting. Please take immediate action before our Selection Chairman misleading the public.

P/S: Sumant, Tengku new email address (xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxx.com)*Email address omitted as per this email.

Rgds <end of email>

 

Additional reply by Lim Tse Pin on May 19th: 

 

Dear Sumant,

I would like to correct your stand on me being the Tournament Director that you had mentioned in your email. I've been made as the Chief Arbiter of the event as mentioned to all players during my briefing (myself is not aware that I've been nominated as TD).

Btw, Tengku who is as the Hon. Secretary of MCF cum Deputy President will be your point of reference with regards to the matter decides at MCF Main Committee Level. Thank you.

Rgds <end of email>

Reply by Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah on 21st of May : 

Dear Mr. Sumant,

Your email dated 18 May 2014 refers.

In reference to your query therein, kindly be advised the followings:-

1. that the 'play-off' ruling is only applicable for selection of top 5
qualified players, and not for selecting substitute player(s) arising from
any withdrawal of already selected/qualified National team

2. that MCF excos had during the meeting on 10 April 2014, unanimously
decided that should there be a withdrawal from the Five (5) qualified
players, the MCF excos shall have the right to nominate another substitute
(which is not necessarily from the players played for the Masters);

3. that the MCF excos had during the meeting on 14 May 2014, decided on
majority decision that there will be no ‘play off’ in reference to the
decision in previous meeting on 10 April 2014 and Mr. Ahmad Fadzil Nayan has
been selected as substitute based on his standing (4th placing) during the
Malaysian Masters 2014 selection;

4.that MCF Selection Chairman or any other person have no right to give any
selection criteria without properly and officially agreed and endorsed by
the MCF excos. In other words, the MCF Selection Chairman and any other
person  must strictly follow the decision officially made by the MCF excos
during the 10 April 2014 meeting;

Please therefore note that the so called ‘Play-Off’ game has never been
agreed to be the selection criteria to select another player in the event of
any withdrawal from the Five (5) players qualified.

By reasons of the above, we believe your query is met and MCF thank you for
your effort and contribution to Malaysian Chess.


Best regards,

Tengku Ahmad Badli Shah Raja Hussin
Deputy Chairman/Honorary Secretary
Malaysian Chess Federation <end of email>

Please note that Mr. Lim Tse Pin as the Chief Arbiter for Malaysian Masters 2014 has explicitly stated on behalf of the MCF selection committee that in the event a player who has been selected decides to pull out of the team, the player who gets the 3rd placing in the follow-up selection would be given the chance. This was witnessed and agreed by Ms. Haslinda Ruslan (arbiter of the event), Mr. Gregory Lau and all the players present (Yeoh Li Tian, Ng Tze Han, Lim Yee Weng, Fong Yit San, Fadzil Nayan and Sumant). 

 

I would like to request again, for MCF to honor its obligations made to me and schedule a play-off match to be held between Fadzil Nayan and me. 

 

Yours sincerely,

Sumant Subramaniam