Lions Club - Lessons to be learned (Part 1)

I understand that the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host will be reinstated by ROS following intervention by the Home Ministry. Believe me when I say I am glad the club will be reinstated.

However, the manner in which the reinstatement has come about leaves much to be desired.  There were lies in the letter to the Home Minister. Even the lawyer acting for John Ho and Francis Liew has lied in their letter to ROS and copied to the Home Minister. To put it mildly it was rather improper for the lawyer to write what he wrote to mislead the Minister of Home Affairs as well as the judge in the case between John Ho, Francis Liew vs ROS.

Meanwhile, what can Lions Club International and Past International Presidents of the Lions Movement learn from this episode?

Here are a few of the many things that come to mind:

1.       LCI should take immediate action when complaints from members are received. Even complaints from non members should be entertained if the complaints are genuine and are important to the Lions movement.

2.       LCI should not hide behind the term ‘Autonomous’. Clubs are autonomous but when misappropriation of money by influential members of the club is involved then the District Governor or Past District Governors should investigate instead of hiding behind the term ‘Autonomous’. Failing that, LCI should directly appoint someone to investigate.

3.       LCI should act on complaints that the club registered with them is not legally recognized by the Local Authorities.

4.       International dues should not be collected from a de-registered club and a club de-registered locally should not be termed as in good standing. This tantamount to a dead person in one country springing to life in the USA.

a.        How can a club de-registered locally be called a club in good standing by LCI?

b.      How can it be in good standing when no meetings have been held for more than a year?

c.       How can dues be paid by members of a club when no meetings were ever held since de-registration?

A problem that could have been easily resolved within months without de-registration has taken more than two years since my initial complaint to LCI Legal, Administrative and Finance department.

I have chosen not to write to LCI because of its silly stand that emails from non members need not be responded to.

Comments and responses to questions are welcome from any Lions Clubs around the world. Let us 'SERVE' and mean what we say.