Basketball Association of Singapore chief Seah Liang Bing retains seat after fresh election
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Basketball Association of Singapore president Seah Liang Bing (right) retains his seat on the BAS board while Alan Choo is a new board member.
ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Follow topic:
- Seah Liang Bing was re-elected as Basketball Association of Singapore president after a fresh vote was called due to irregularities in the previous polls.
- Despite recent challenges, including a match-fixing scandal, the men's 3x3 team won a historic silver medal at the SEA Games.
- BAS plans to develop more local 3x3 and five-a-side players through organising local compteitions and grassroots programmes, while new board member Alan Choo aims to empower BAS athletes.
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SINGAPORE – Basketball Association of Singapore (BAS) president Seah Liang Bing, along with vice-president Low Kwang Chin and board member Pang Chin Keong, were re-elected at its extraordinary general meeting on Jan 17, alongside new member Alan Choo.
Fresh elections to vote for its office-bearers were held more than three months after BAS’ annual general meeting on Sept 20, following directions by Sport Singapore (SportSG) to do so
On Jan 17, the quartet were the only ones out of eight candidates to win 10 or more votes from 20 authorised delegates at the meeting at the Singapore Basketball Centre in Aljunied.
The voting was conducted in the presence of observers from world basketball governing body Fiba, the Singapore National Olympic Council and SportSG.
The elected officials will serve a three-year term and their roles will be confirmed following the new board’s first meeting on Jan 29.
Seah, a 68-year-old former international referee who owns a workplace safety and health consultation company, had previously filled the role of BAS president after his predecessor Bob Tor stepped down in October.
He told The Sunday Times: “There was some public concern after the last election, so in order for our members to exercise their voting rights, we called for a fresh election to close all the gaps and address all the concerns with a fair and transparent process.
“This is important for us to move forward without any doubt from our clubs and members.
“The results are the same as the last election, which means most of the members still think we are the ones they trust to put on the board.”
Reiterating his earlier point that Singapore basketball needs to be united to take it forward, he added: “Different opinions and unity can co-exist. It’s okay for people to have different opinions, but the direction should be the same.
“We welcome all constructive suggestions and proposals which can make basketball in Singapore better. We will also communicate with our members to see how best we can address their needs.”
In Seah’s short time at the helm, he has experienced a number of highs and lows.
The election controversy arose after eight of the 19 authorised delegates were not allowed to vote, as their authorisation forms did not carry their organisation’s stamps, leading to concerns over the election procedures.
The requirement was introduced on Aug 28 and the members deemed ineligible had used an earlier version of the form that did not specify the need for the stamp.
The election proceeded after the 11 eligible delegates voted against the eight without stamps from participating.
While the stamp criteria is not included in the BAS constitution, the NSA had attempted to justify it by citing Clause 46.1 which states: “In all matters not provided for in this Constitution or doubts on the proper interpretation of the Articles in this Constitution, the decision of the Board shall be final unless it is reversed at a General Meeting of members”.
SportSG took issue with this, noting that the election process was not fair and transparent enough.
There was also the fallout from the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau’s Aug 19 arrest of nine individuals
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However, there was a bright spark during the SEA Games in December, when the men’s 3x3 basketball team won a historic silver medal
They also qualified for the Asian Beach Games and Asian Games.
Seah said: “I witnessed their fighting spirit, skills, strategies, and tactics. With the silver, we are on the right track towards our long-term goal of winning SEA Games gold and qualifying for the Olympics.”
He also confirmed that national 3x3 coach Lazar Rasic has joined the High Performance Sport Institute and plans are afoot to set up local professional teams to play on the Fiba 3x3 pro circuit. The BAS will also continue to organise local events to unearth young talents.
The basketball chief also stressed that five-a-side basketball will not be neglected as the national sports association works on its grassroots programmes.
Choo, who is the co-founder of media agency Wonder Strategic International, also hopes to bank on his experience in the local basketball scene to help develop the current and next generation of athletes.
A former Whye Nam club player, the 34-year-old co-founded Influence Magic, the NBL Divison 2 champions who have been promoted to next season’s top tier.
He said: “I have loved basketball since young and I was impressed with the secretariat’s passion, so I joined the election as I wanted to work more closely with them to drive Singapore basketball and make it more happening.
“At Influence Magic, we wanted to invest in youth and build the under-23 players so most of our players are between the age of 18 and 23.
“I also want to help support our athletes in terms of representation. Elsewhere, players have managers or agents to help them negotiate deals and build a better image.
“As we build our player capabilities on court, we also want to help them to present themselves better off the court.”
