Lions Club Stonewalling: When a Roar Fades to Silence

 

Lions Clubs International (LCI) stands as a global beacon of community service, built on a foundation of integrity and volunteerism. Its motto, "We Serve," echoes through countless charitable acts worldwide. But what happens when the very rules that guide this noble organization are bent—or outright broken—for personal gain? At the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Centennial (LCKK Centennial), the largest club in Sabah, Malaysia, a troubling saga has unfolded, raising questions about fairness, accountability, and the erosion of trust within the Lions’ ranks.

Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Centennial. Who is at fault? (Part 1)

WHO IS AT FAULT?

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

Let’s look at Lions Club International and Registrar of Societies (Malaysia) first.

In 2017, the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host (LCKKHost) was deregistered by the ROS. Three members pooled monies to pay LCI subscription during the period when the club was deregistered. 

Grog 3 (On Twitter) on expulsion of a Lions Club member

 

I saw a new feature on Twitter called Grog3 and asked the following question.

A Member of the Lions Club was expelled by the president of his club. He is 82 years old and has been a devout member for more than 50 years. This act is despicable. Any comments?

Here is its answer.

I'm sorry to hear about this situation, as it sounds distressing, especially given the member's long history of dedication to the Lions Club. While I understand this may feel unfair or harsh, I don't have access to the specific details of why the president made this decision. Expulsion from an organization like the Lions Club typically involves a process, and reasons could range from violations of club bylaws, ethical concerns, or other issues. However, without knowing the full context, it's difficult to make a definitive judgment.

Here are some general points to consider:

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.

Ethics and integrity of the Lions Clubs

This post is for those who are reading my posts here for the first time.

I want to share my experiences with Lions Clubs and Lions Club International (LCI).

In 2017 I was expelled from the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host (LCKKHost) for asking questions on misappropriation of funds by a few senior members. A scheme had been set up by operating bank accounts unknown to most members.

I complained to some Past District Governors who instructed me to get in touch with the District Governor. They wanted to have no part in investigating this matter.

I complained to the District Governor who pushed it to Lions Club International.

I complained about the matter to Lions Club International and was told that each club is autonomous and LCI will not get involved.

I complained to the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and after investigation, the club was deregistered.

Lions Clubs - Past District Governors

 

A resolution has been passed during the International Convention to amend the qualification of district governor and vice district governors.

Effective July 1, 2022, Lions who previously served as a district governor will not be eligible to be elected as district governor or vice district governor.

The website further added: You (PDGs) have a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to help your club, district and the association move forward.  

My email to DG elect Connie Loh

 

I heard from some sources that certain Zone and Region Chairpersons who are intended to be appointed have already served in this position previously.

I had asked for confirmation from the DG Elect and a few PDG's but as usual the PDG's choose to keep mum as they will probably say it is the prerogative of the DG. 

A quick check on the internet showed the following:

 (2) Membership Experience
Why do members join? What do members want in their club experience? Learn ways to keep your members satisfied and resources that can help you achieve your goals. 

 If I join a club and find out that the same members are appointed more than once I will resign immediately as my chance of learning and thereby serving the Lion Movement is limited.  

Lackadaisical attitude of the Lions Club’s District Governor Lydia Lu Siew Fong (Lydia SF Lu)

 

I wrote to the DG for year 2021 – 2022, Lydia SF Lu, on 8.7.2021 and have yet to receive a response from her.

 

From what I have seen since 2017 all District Governors are only interested in going about collecting donations and grants and doing some charity work.

Loneliness – Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host

 

 

I stand alone but the LCKKHost is lonely.

 

‘… loneliness comes from holding certain views which others find inadmissible.’ (Carl Jung)

 

LIons Club International's response to my email dated 6.1.2021

 

The following is the response from LCI Legal Division to my email dated 6.1.2021 which you can read here.

       https://myclubexperiences.blogspot.com/2021/01/open-letter-to-lions-club-international_6.html

 

The key sentence in the reply from LCI is, ‘Should formal charges or a formal indictment be issued, LCI may consider taking action at that time.’

The above is what LCI says but does the exact opposite.

We shall examine this in the near future.

Open letter to Lions Club International (Part 3) Fraud

 

Falsification of recording in Registrar of Societies records by Lions of Kota Kinabalu Host.

I refer to your response dated 4.1.2017 wherein you had stated the following:

In the event an issue causes concern as to whether a respective club is compliant with local laws, registrations and filings, a complaint may be filed under the Club Dispute Resolution Procedure (CDRP).

As the club was non-compliant with local laws the club was deregistered by ROS.

The local law that was contravened was the inclusion of an illegal Past Presidents’ Council that was not registered with Registrar of Societies (ROS). 

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.

Attempt to replace Lions Club's Constitution

Below is the Past Presidents Constitution that was attempted to be filed in with ROS. It goes contrary to the Lions International Standard Constitution and By-Laws.

Here are some relevant points from the new set of Rules and Constitution of LCKK Host. The underlining is made by me. My comments are in red. 

Use of Funds Raised from Lions Clubs Activities (Part 1)

Here are some policies on use of funds raised from Lions Club activities - from LCI websites. (Highlighting done by me)

Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host -A lesson from Bhagavad Gita

Here is something to ponder over especially for my Hindu friends including Sai Baba Devotees.

In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna tells Arjuna that he should go into battle and fight.

Arjuna then tells Krishna that he cannot fight, because he sees opposite him his grand uncle Bhishma and cousins and other relatives.

My final email to Lions Club International

There is an originating summons in the court in Kota Kinabalu filed by John Ho @ Ho Shui Fah and Francis Liew against Registry of Societies.

Back in January 2019 I wrote to Lions Club International. Here is my email and an automatic reply. As expected LCI Legal did not respond. I believe it is very irresponsible of LCI not to respond.

Hindsight

Hindsight the ability  to understand, after something has happened, why or how it was done and how it might have been done better.

Here is a post from 2016, November 13th.

Here is an extract from a post by a friend. I hope my friends from my club will meditate upon it and try to understand my stand on some important matters.

"Having a passion means to have such an intense grip on a problem you can’t stop thinking about solving; it means learning about and spending time with that problem as much as possible, and as long as it takes for ideas to manifest on how you might go about finding a solution. "

Lions Club International - My emails and responses

I am baffled by the recent response from Lions Club International to my emails.

 

Here is my 3^rd email to LCI since the de-registration of Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu host.

From: luqman michel [mailto:luqmanm2002@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Tuesday, July 24, 2018 6:37 AM
To: Kingsbury, David <David.Kingsbury@lionsclubs.org>; President <president@lionsclubs.org>; District Administration <districtadministration@lionsclubs.org>; Legal <legal@lionsclubs.org>; Finance <Finance@lionsclubs.org>; Lion Magazine <magazine@lionsclubs.org>
Subject: Still awaiting a response

Is Lions Club International a Franchisor

BOD I suspected that there were bank accounts not disclosed to the BOD’s as well as to members of my Lions club - Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host.

I wrote an email to all members asking them if there were bank accounts not disclosed to the BOD’s.

When I did not get any response from my club members I decided to write to the District Governor and then to LCI.

Lions Club’s response to Newspaper report

The Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host claims it responded within 24 hours upon receiving a show cause letter from the Registrar of Societies on issues it believes “were purely administrative and do not warrant deregistration”

My comment: Why would The Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host respond within 24 hours when the matter is of such grave importance?

Should the matter not have been discussed at a BOD meeting or even at an EGM where all members’ opinions had been sought?