SAA drops 2 key officials, one of whom is whistle blower

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

THE Singapore Athletic Association (SAA) has booted out two vice-presidents over acts it deemed had undermined the authority of its executive committee.

Vice-president (organising and competition) Loh Chan Pew and vice-president (training and selection) Steven Lee are suspended until June when the SAA holds its annual general meeting and elects a new executive committee after the current one's term ends.

The move comes after Loh had sent a letter of complaint to the Singapore Sports Council (SSC), alleging irregularities within the national athletics body.

Said SAA president Tang Weng Fei: "By sending this letter, he has shown that he is very much against the executive committee."

He also decided to act against Lee who he said had overstepped his authority by contacting the sport's world governing body International Association of Athletics Federations - without his knowledge - to clarify SAA operating procedures.

"They have drawn a line," said Tang who has helmed the association since 2010.

Loh, however, insisted that he had the right to alert the SSC and request for an investigation if he felt that a wrong had been committed by a fellow official.

Among some of his allegations was that the official had used the association's vehicle for his personal use and submitted excessive mileage claims.

Said Loh: "I brought the matter up but no action was taken. So I had to bring it to a higher authority - the SSC.

"It is my duty as vice-president. When I see something wrong, I have to stand up. I find it strange that the whistle-blower is being suspended."

Lee could not be reached for comment.

When contacted, the SSC declined comment on the matter.

Tang, however, said the SSC had instructed him to conduct an enquiry. He has set up a three-member board who are now looking into the allegations.

The three members are SAA's vice-president (finance) William Wong, honorary treasurer Cheng Heng Tan and legal advisor Clarence Lun.

Tang added that Loh was also suspended because he almost came to blows with a fellow exco member at a meeting last month.

He said: "He was very aggressive during the meeting and verbally abused some members. It almost ended up in a fight."

Adding that he must do what is right, he noted: "I cannot allow them to keep attacking the association."

Tang added that the departure of the two will not have an impact on the sport's preparations for upcoming competitions such as this year's Commonwealth and Asian Games.

Wong will step in as interim vice-president (organising and competition) while SAA advisor C. Kunalan will temporarily replace Lee.

As for the investigation, Tang said: "Let's leave it to the board and see what happens."


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