Akhram for MCF President - Deliver Growth

MCF Presidential candidate Akhramsyah Muammar Ubaidah TS Sanusi coming up with another message - this time in English, on his views and vision in driving MCF towards a better future. With a few more days before Election Day, Akhram is sharing more and more of his thoughts and direction on how he plans to steer MCF towards GROWTH and INTEGRITY. In the past, it has been very rare (almost unheard of) that the Presidential Candidates share their plans and what Akhram is doing here is definitely an eye opener, something new and very refreshing. The effort really shows that he cares about chess and that his heart is sincere in helping to lead the community. And if Akhram is willing to share his passion, vision, aspiration and determination on how to make chess great again, I am very confident that this is the kind of leadership that we need in MCF to help carry us forward. #AkhramforMCF


Read his statement - from his heart....

Assalamualaikum and Good Day. As Chess is an international sport, I choose to also share with you my vision for MCF in English.

We have many dreams and aspirations for Chess in Malaysia, but the issue is not whether any one leader can promise this or that to improve the game, but whether we can DELIVER on the GROWTH of Chess together. DELIVER GROWTH is hence my next Vision for MCF should I be chosen as MCF President.

This Vision also comprises of 2 axes, DELIVER and GROWTH, for which I consider the former to be something that we can certainly improve on. Rather than talk about DELIVERing by saying I am friends with this or that Minister or VVIP, I would rather speak of my track record.

How do I as a new candidate for a position in MCF have a track record in Chess? Now, I am not talking of my kids' performances as a Chess parent, but our efforts to send Myanmar and Asean Chess players to the 27th SEA Games in Naypyidaw, Myanmar in 2013.

The idea was brought to me by IM Mok Tze Min at the conclusion of the 2011 Sea Games. By 2012, with support from TS Ramli Ngah Talib who led MCF at the time, we began training a small group of kids, with local coaches like IM Jimmy Liew and also coaches from Myanmar. 

By early 2013, with assistance from the late TS Halil Abdul Mutalib, who was then VP of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), we attained agreement for an expansion of the Chess contingent with no additional budget from OCM, and a few players went to a pre-Sea Games tournament in Yanggon.

Some details of the heady early days of the contingent during the SEA Games itself are recorded here in my old Blog: http://thoughtsintangents.blogspot.com/2013/12/mencatur-kejayaan-di-myanmar.html

The ASEAN and Myanmar Chess players and entourage to the 27th SEA Games were all privately funded by the players and/or their parents and a few sponsors we managed to attract. This paid for coaching through to flights, accommodation and meals.

We have some fond memories of achievements of the contingent - the Malaysia Men's Myanmar Chess team won Bronze, the only SEA Games medal won by the Malaysian Chess contingent in 2013. My son Aqil, who was 10 then, drew with GM Eugene Toray in the Standard Myanmar Chess event! (The GM still remembers!)

But in the context of this MCF Elections, I DELIVERed on the promise then to bring a larger Chess contingent to the SEA Games in Myanmar to play and contend for medals in Chess variants not usually played by our players. Hence I believe with your support, MCF under my leadership can DELIVER on the axis GROWTH.

And what is the GROWTH that I mean here? I see GROWTH in Malaysian Chess to be over 4 elements:

1 - GROWTH of player quality which is intimately linked with GROWTH of Coaching and FIDE Rated Tournaments in the country. Besides aspiring to have FIDE Rated Standard, Rapid and Blitz events in Sukma, we should aspire for more across our State Chess Associations' events, state level school tournaments and universities.

I am have already spoken to Syed Saddiq and Dr Maszlee Malik on this, and they are supportive.

2 - GROWTH in the Support Structure for Chess, which includes support for Coaches, Arbiters and Tournament Organisers, especially in states where Chess is less developed. MCF should do more in this area and it will under my leadership.

3 - Linked to the above, GROWTH through better infrastructure for Chess, which I can begin DELIVERing as soon as I am elected MCF President. I aim to revive MCF's MOU with MARA, giving access to Halls in MARA institutions for use in tournaments and Chess activities. This will just be the beginning.

4 - Finally, MCF under my leadership will revive another old association long forgotten; reminding Tun Dr Mahathir that he is the Patron of MCF, hence leveraging on his good name to DELIVER GROWTH to the game for benefit of the entire Chess Community in Malaysia.

I look forward to your support and feedback on my Vision to DELIVER GROWTH, our second Vision with 2 new axes following the INTEGRITY TOGETHER vision shared before.