Death of human empathy

 

This morning, I came across a post on LinkedIn by Martin Dearlove discussing the decline of human empathy, which inspired me to write this reflection. This is my own perspective.

 

Recently, my friend Adam Chin Chee Thau received a letter notifying him to either voluntarily leave his club or face expulsion within seven days. I can relate to his situation, as I experienced something similar in 2017 when I reached out to various Lion members, including Past District Governors, who refused to engage due to a misguided autonomy rule imposed by Lions Club International.

Public Complaint Bureau

 

A friend asked me what PCB is. It is the Public Complaint Bureau or Biro Pangaduan Awam (In Malay).

Here are some extracts from a website. LINK.

Public complaints are complaints made by the public on their dissatisfaction towards any administrative injustice, abuse of power, mismanagement and other similar acts by Government agencies.

Restricting complaints to only members of a club

 

This morning, a Facebook friend, Dwayne Min Johnson, taught me a new Chinese phrase "长江后浪推前浪" (cháng jiāng hòu làng tuī qián làng), which translates to "the waves behind drive the waves in front" in English. This idiom carries a rich metaphorical meaning.

This is apt for our discussion on Lions Clubs International sticking with a decades-old system of saying that only members can complain about Lions Clubs flagrantly breaking rules and regulations set up by LCI. This sounds like the club telling LCI, ‘catch me if you can’, knowing that no member will complain to LCI.

Importance of a cabinet officer for the District Governor

 

 

向下滚动查看中文翻译

Dwayne Min Johnson

You really hate Lions Club. You attack a club and claim it was a crime ….to me, this is an attack.

It must be related to the April election...Hopefully, you can achieve your goals by then.

Luqman Michel my question is still the same….What’s your motive behind it, but when I saw your posting on the Mandarin version ..I guess I know why and who is behind all this…..you can tell the whole world how righteous you can be, but people with a clear view will know what your motive is…good luck to you.

Autonomy of Lions Clubs

 

The autonomy of Lions Clubs within the larger framework of Lions Clubs International (LCI) is a fundamental aspect of the organisation. While LCI provides guidance, resources, and a shared mission, each club is ultimately responsible for its governance and compliance with local laws and regulations.

This autonomy allows clubs to tailor their activities and policies to fit the specific needs of their communities, with each club operating independently and having its own elected officers and decision-making processes. However, this independence also comes with legal responsibilities, and clubs must ensure they comply with all relevant local laws in addition to LCI's rules and regulations.

Loophole in the Lions organisation

 

This is a continuation of my post at LINK

I am collating information from my blog posts to write an open letter to Lions Clubs International on club autonomy and the loopholes it creates for those with criminal intent.

“Falsifying documents” is a type of white-collar crime. It involves altering, changing, or modifying a document to deceive another person. It can also involve the passing along of copies of documents that are known to be false.

Here is a sentence from my post here.

Loophole in the Lions organisation and perhaps other Charitable organisations.

 

 

向下滚动查看中文

I am collating information from my blog posts to write an open letter to Lions Clubs International on club autonomy and the loopholes it creates for those with criminal intent.

This is what I read in my post in November 2016. “A conspiracy consists …in the agreement of two or more to do an unlawful act or to do lawful act by unlawful means.”

Resolving issues, the Lion way

 

Here is one of the ways to resolve issues by Lions.

I saw a post on Facebook Lion Dr. Alan Thoo's.

He is the Vice Council Chairperson 2024-2025 of District 308 B2.

Here is his post:

It’s time we pump up efforts to bring more young ones into our MD 308 family, and also… bring former Leos ‘home’! Join me in a sharing session this Saturday

Trust Issues in Elections—Whether It’s the Lions Club or the State, It’s the Same Game

 

This is a continuation of my previous post. LINK

Analysis by Fatima Fernandez:

🔥 Trust Issues in Elections—Whether It’s the Lions Club or the State, It’s the Same Game 🔥

Fatima Fernandez

Oh, Luqman, you just hit on something BIGGER than just club politics. We’re talking about systemic election shenanigans—whether it’s in a community organization or at the state level, when transparency disappears, so does trust. And let me tell you, that’s a recipe for chaos. Let’s break this down:

Is conversation now a members-only perk?

 

The following is a LinkedIn post by Fatima Fernandez Lobbyist | Mediator | Legal & Policy Expert | I Bridge Divides & Create Solutions and my comments.

 

I was in line at Canvas Credit Union, having a normal discussion with someone. We exchanged thoughts, disagreed, and moved on—exactly how healthy dialogue works.

Integrity of the Lions Movement

 

向下滚动查看中文

I would like to address a matter that has come to my attention from the recent ASEAN Lions Leaders Summit held from February 20th to 22nd, 2025 in Sibu. LINK

 

I understand from a Lion member who attended the summit that the First Vice District Governor (VDG) informed many Past District Governors (PDGs) that the issue I had brought up was resolved. The VDG reportedly referenced a letter from the Registrar of Societies (ROS) addressed to me, stating that the matter was resolved.

My email to Dato Yeoh Wah Chin

 

The following was a reminder to the International Director of Lions in September 2024.

This is for posterity to inform Lions that I did all I could to nip this problem in the bud. 

luqman michel 

From:luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk

To:datoyeowwahchin@gmail.com

Mon, 30 Sept 2024 at 13:25

On Sunday, 22 September 2024 at 18:06:38 GMT+8, luqman michel <luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Dear Dato Yeow Wah Chin,

I pray this email finds you in good health and cheer.

Expulsion of a Lion member by 'illegal' BODs

 

I sent off the following to the Lions committee members and let us see if they would do anything.

 esuriyati@gmail.com,tansohhar@gmail.com, lionronny168@gmail.com,datojimmytie@gmail.com,

 jteolc@gmail.com,drtantmc@yahoo.com,judyk.peg@gmail.com, irenetansg@hotmail.com

and 36 others.

 

Dear Sir,

 

I am writing to raise a concerning issue regarding the recent actions taken by the current Board of Directors (BOD) of the Centennial Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu.

The Lions Club – Charitable organization or a secret society

 

In 2017 I complained about my former Club, Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu host, which had secret bank accounts unknown to most members and directors of the club. It also altered the minutes of meetings. Lion members and LCI did not address the problem and that club was finally de-registered. 

Now, another club, The Centennial Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu has issued a notice of expulsion to a senior member who tried to help by asking relevant questions to members of the club.

Critical Thinking and the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Centennial.

 

See below for Chinese translation.

中文翻译见下文

I read a post on Facebook this morning and have adapted it for what is going on in a Lions Club in Kota Kinabalu.

 

I understand a senior Lion has been suspected of divulging information to a non-lion. He was given a notice of expulsion by the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Centennial. The notice of expulsion is signed by the President who is the daughter of the 1st VDG. The not duly elected BOD members had a board meeting approving the expulsion. (There was no election meeting to elect the officers and Board of Directors for the year 2024/2025.) 

Meeting with PDG Lawrence Ting

 

 

Yesterday, on January 18, 2025, I was invited to attend a lunch meeting at EWest Restaurant to discuss the issues I had previously raised with the Registrar of Societies (ROS).

 

This was the first time I had met PDG (Past District Governor) Lawrence Ting since our last encounter in 2015 or 2016, when he was the District Governor (DG). The meeting was also attended by Datuk Margareth Lim, Horace Ho Toh Chee, and Past President Chin Chee Thau.

Comments and questions from Lion Members

 

A friends used to say, Once a Lion, always a Lion. But where are the other Lions? One Lion Past President clicked 'Like' on my post and after a few hours deleted her 'Like'.

I wrote emails and several Facebook messages to several Lion Dignitaries. Only one Past District Governor (PDG) replied. The following is what she said:

I am not obliged to answer you. As PDG we are not duty-bound to answer or give opinions on questions raised by you. You have your platform to question.

If this is the attitude of PDGs, what can we expect from ordinary members of the Lion fraternity?

Email to ROS Headoffice

 

    "Akhirnya, mereka yang berdiri di pihak kebenaran akan sentiasa 

menang, manakala   mereka yang berada di pihak yang salah akan jatuh,"

(Tengku Hassanal- crown prince of Pahang)

 

This is my email to ROS Headoffice.

From:luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk

To:kpjppm@ros.gov.my,wzainul@ros.gov.my

Wed 15 Jan at 04:50

Dear Sir,

This is a follow-up to my email dated 9.1.25 attached below.

In December I requested the investigation’s results and was informed that the matter had been resolved and a Notice 14 (2) had been issued to the Club.

Upon checking with the members complaining, I was informed that no election meeting was held to rectify the situation.

Email to ROS - 9.1.25

 

On Thursday, 9 January 2025 at 03:59:03 GMT+8, luqman michel <luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

 

Dear Puan Yuniezah,

The dispute among the members has yet to be resolved.

The president of the Centennial Lions Club believes that the office bearers have been duly elected but not by many of the members.

 

I have included here the amendment to the Societies Act 1966.

 

16. (1) If the Registrar is of the opinion that a dispute has occurred among the members or office-bearers of a registered society as a result of which the Registrar is not satisfied of the identity of the persons who have been properly constituted as office-bearers of the society, the Registrar may serve notice on the society requiring the society, within one month of the service of such notice, to produce to him evidence of the settlement of any such dispute and of the proper appointment of the lawful office-bearers of the society or of the institution of proceedings for the settlement of such dispute.

 

(2) If any such notice as is provided in subsection (1) is not complied with to the satisfaction of the Registrar within the period of one month or any extension thereof allowed by the Registrar, the Registrar may take steps to cancel the registration of the society under section 13.

Thank you and kind regards,

Luqman Michel

Email to ROS Sabah.

 

On Wednesday, 8 January 2025 at 14:08:49 GMT+8, luqman michel <luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

 

Dear Puan Yuniezah,

Many Lions Clubs in Kota Kinabalu are not following the constitution as the talk is that ROS does not take serious action.

I received a letter from ROS stating that a Notice 14 (2) has been issued to the Centennial Lions club in September following an investigation conducted on 13.9.2024.