Club experiences
Friday, January 22, 2021
Open letter to LCI (Part 4) LCI flouting its constitution
The following is my email written to Mr. David Kingsbury of LCI, Administration Division, Finance Division, The President of LCI on 21.1.2021.
Dear Mr. David Kingsbury,
Here are relevant paragraphs of an email from you to me dated 8.2.2018.
While you have shared substantial information alleging wrongdoing, it appears that this has been reviewed by both the local police and the ROS. As you have stated that no criminal wrongdoing has been found to date, no action may be taken at this time.
Please be advised that if this situation changes and either of the authorities that have been notified do find criminal behavior occurred, we would request the district governor or any other Lion notify this office and provide any relevant evidence to confirm such findings so that additional action may be taken. Although you are not a current member, should you be aware of such information and provide that to this office, the information will be reviewed and handled in the same manner.
On 18.7.2018 I wrote an email to you as well as the Administration and finance section of LCI informing you that the Lions Club of Kota Kinabalu Host was de-registered on 28.6.2018. The club was reinstated only on 2.7.2019. In other words, the club was defunct for the whole of the financial year 2018/2019.
LCI accepted club dues to LCI from a club that they knew (because I had informed you) had been de-registered.
Accepting the Club dues and not placing the club under status quo appears to conflict with many of the Ethics and Rules and Regulations on the LCI website as well as LCI handbook.
On what basis did you accept the dues to LCI when:
i. The obligations of each chartered club is to hold regular scheduled meetings or events and this was not done for the whole financial year.
ii. When the District dues and fees were not paid (Not accepted by the district)*.
iii. The club had failed to fulfill the obligations of a chartered Lions club, such as, but not limited to, failure to hold club meetings or events regularly, or failure to report membership for three or more consecutive months.
iv. Monies in payment of club obligations should only be paid on authority given by the board of directors. You were made aware that the club had been de-registered which means no Board of Directors meetings could have been held.
Tell me, Mr. Kingsbury, how do Lions promote the principles of good government and good citizenship, when you do not even respect the local ROS decision to de-register the club?
Lions International has given the wrong message to Lion clubs here where all lion members I have spoken to, tell me not to waste my time with LCI as LCI does not recognize the decisions of the local government. I did not believe them and started writing to you and after 3 years and finally your disregard to the de-registration by our ROS I am inclined to believe what the lions have told me all this while.
It does not appear that LCI portrays what it states in its website on ethics. Here are some extracts from a website on ethics on the Lion’s website and my comments.
No act or request on the part of Lions clubs and their members, officers, board of directors or staff within our association with whom, or the community for whom, we render services can justify the breach of this guideline. Honest and ethical conduct is defined by four core values that serve as the foundation for our Ethical Standards: Integrity – Lions Clubs International insists on the highest standards of personal and professional integrity. We must all make every possible effort to safeguard the association’s assets. We must also comply with all association policies and applicable laws.
My comments: What integrity are you talking about when you yourself disregard local laws?
How do you expect the lions to have respect and comply with ROS policies and applicable laws when you can accept dues from a club that you know has been de-registered?
Accountability – Lions Clubs International expects all club officers to honor commitments as authorized and made on behalf of the association and take individual responsibility for all actions and outcomes. It has no tolerance for ethical violations.
My comment: LCI has no tolerance for ethical violation? Is this just for show and for public consumption?
In many instances, ethical standards intersect legal requirements. If an ethical or legal compliance issue arises that raises a question in your mind, you have a responsibility to bring that issue to the attention of the appropriate International Board committee or International Office division (for example, the Finance and Headquarters Operation Committee reviews Conflict of Interest issues; the Constitution and By-Laws Committee and/or Legal Division review Legal issues). You may also bring ethical or legal concerns to the attention of your District Governor, the International Board of Directors, the Executive Officers, or the Administrative Officers of the association.
My comments: What a load of nonsense! I wrote to you when I was still a member. Subsequently you had the audacity to tell me that I am no longer a member and therefore I cannot complain to you. So, what is there to prevent a few senior members, as was the case with my former club, from mishandling funds and then expelling any member and thus preventing them from writing to you?
I believe it is silly of you to tell any citizen of a country, be he a member or non-member, that you will not entertain their complaint even when the complaint is given in writing with documentary evidence?
You had instructed the DG at that time DG Eve Wong to take action under CDRP. Why did she not do it? What lesson is going to be learned by other subsequent DG’s?
Note: *Did the Lions Club of KKHost pay the District Dues? I am in the process of checking this out. If the district dues was collected that would be flouting the Societies ACT.
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