Vice District Governor of LCKKCentennial. Who is at fault? Part 2

 

Who is at fault? Part 2

Answer: The VDG, The DG, All PDGs who are aware of the expulsion, ROS and Lions Club International.

Let’s look at the role played by ROS and LCI.

Under the Standard Lions Club Constitution (Article VI - Officers), Lions Clubs International explicitly mandates that all officers—typically including the president, vice presidents (first, second, and third), secretary, treasurer, and others like the membership chairperson—must be elected annually by the club members. The election process is outlined in Article VII, which states that officers are elected at a designated meeting (usually in April) by a majority vote of members present, with nominations coming from a nominating committee and the floor.

The ROS requires societies to hold elections for key positions as part of their annual general meetings (AGMs) and to submit reports detailing these processes (Section 9 of the Act). However, enforcement can be inconsistent, and the ROS often takes a hands-off approach unless a formal complaint from a member triggers an investigation.

I made a complaint in September 2024 to ROS stating that I am not a member, and the complaint was in the public interest. My complaint was accepted, and an investigation was done. Based on the investigation, a Notice under section 14 (2) was issued to the Centennial Club.

My complaint was specifically about the appointment of office bearers without holding an election.

The club misrepresented information, and when I asked ROS to investigate, they replied that I was not a member.

The anomaly arises from this disconnect: LCI demands elections as a core principle, but the ROS may not intervene if a club skirts this rule, especially if no members formally object.

I convinced Adam Chin to file a complaint to LCI and ROS while he was still a member. This complaint has yet to be addressed by either ROS or LCI.

LCI’s insistence on elections aligns with its global mission of fostering leadership and democratic engagement, but it relies on clubs to self-regulate, with district governors and LCI headquarters stepping in only if issues escalate. The ROS, meanwhile, seems to adopt a minimalist stance—ensuring basic compliance with Malaysian law but not necessarily enforcing LCI’s stricter internal rules unless compelled.

The confusion is real and stems from this dual accountability structure. This was pointed out to me by a former Rotarian friend, Kenneth Tan Oikuwang. 

If a club like KK Centennial with a VDG as a member appointed office bearers without an election and faced no internal pushback, the ROS’s inaction could embolden similar practices elsewhere, undermining LCI’s standards. Conversely, if members don’t challenge it—perhaps due to apathy, fear of conflict, or satisfaction with the appointees—LCI has limited practical leverage unless someone escalates it to the district or international level.

My complaint to the District Governor in September and now by Adam Chin while he was still a member has not been addressed by the DG. As one of my Facebook friends, Tan Nai Seng, pointed out, it is obvious that this is a case of ‘you scratch my back and I scratch yours’. It could also be, 'Let the one who has not sinned cast the first stone.'

To resolve this anomaly, clarity could come from either LCI tightening oversight (e.g., requiring district governors to audit election compliance) or the ROS taking a firmer stance on enforcing election rules under the Societies Act, regardless of complainant status.