* Selangor HA president gets 12 nominations for MHC president’s post
* Keen contest for remaining posts
Selangor Hockey Association president Dato Sri Subahan Kamal, with 12 nominations, won hands down to helm the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) – taking over the hot seat from incumbent president Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah. Subahan will become the seventh MHC president.
The Crown Prince of Pahang is giving up his post with the MHC after he was unanimously elected as the new president of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) following the demise of Sultan Azlan Shah in May 2014.
Subahan, a former lawmaker, is a well known businessman who is also a former vice-president of the FA of Malaysia (2010-2013) during which time he was also manager of the national football team. He is still actively involved in Selangor football and is a vice-president of the Football Association of Selangor.
MHC secretary-general Datuk Johari Abdul Aziz said Subahan was the only nomination for the president’s post when nominations closed on Tuesday.
Subahan has been an obvious choice for the MHC president’s post from the day Tengku Abdullah announced that he will not be seek re-election. He has close links with Tengku Abdullah.
“It is not going to be easy to fill the shoes of Tengku Abdullah,” said Subahan, expressing surprise over the overwhelming support he got for the states.
Putting Subahan’s election aside,it is the battle for the deputy’ president’s post between incumbent Raja Puan Seri Noora Ashikin Raja Abdullah of Perak and Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad of Malacca that has now become the focus.
Nur Azmi has ruffled a few feathers of late with his uncalled for statements over the proposed changes in the MHC constitution which have not been accepted by the International Hockey Federation (FIH), but has been campaigning hard to move up the ranks in MHC from his present post as senior vice-president.
Elsewhere incumbents Majid Manjit Abdullah, M. Gobinathan, Datin Jennifer Williams and S. Nagula are among those vying for the seven posts as vice-presidents. A battle is on the cards after Datuk Wan Ahmad Nizam Wan Abdul Hamid, Datuk Mohd Aminuddin Mohd Amin, Datuk Radhakrishnan Nair and A. Vijayasankar received nominations.
For the record the secretary-general and the treasurer are appointed by the president.
The long overdue MHC elections will be held at the Royale Chulan Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 13.
