KUALA LUMPUR – The SME Association of Malaysia has vehemently refuted all accusations levelled against it by its embattled former president, Ding Hong Sing, amid simmering internal strife within the association.
Its secretary-general, Chin Chee Seong, asserted that Ding’s allegations were a smokescreen for his own power plays and personal agendas, which he alleged began as early as January this year.
According to Chin, Ding’s portrayal of himself as a victim was a ploy to garner sympathy while aligning with like-minded individuals to incite unrest and fabricate disputes.
He went as far as labelling Ding as “the thief crying thief,” suggesting that Ding sought unilateral control over the association, including veto power.
“As the former national president, Ding unilaterally issued a warning letter to me and attempted to hijack the association’s disciplinary committee, led by Datin Dorph Peng Wen Yin,” Chin claimed.
He continued: “His actions were unconstitutional and clashed with the existing disciplinary structure. Despite 16 email inquiries from 15 council members seeking clarification, Ding provided no satisfactory answers or showed remorse for his behaviour.”
Chin elaborated on Ding’s alleged attempts to seize total control, claiming that Ding insisted that only the president could chair meetings, ignoring the association’s constitution.
“(But) when his plan was uncovered and failed, he quickly shifted focus to the association’s financial records, doubting the financial and project organising chairperson to escape accountability by diverting attention.
Chin raised concerns over Ding’s handling of the association’s financial audit, accusing him of negligence and attempting to evade responsibility.
“It was alarming for the council when he said that he had received a report from the internal auditor before it could officially be released to the council member in charge. This raises serious concerns and doubts about the independence of the auditor.
“Ding said that he had met with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) director at the end of January. But he chooses to withhold all information, rather than report it back to the council or call for a meeting.
“He then threatens all council members that they will be blacklisted by RoS if they do not follow his way, should he decide to report to RoS and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
“We are still very puzzled over why he withheld information that he claimed to have and refused to resolve and answer questions raised. Instead, he issued a warning letter to me.”
Despite SME Malaysia’s efforts to maintain silence in the face of Ding’s allegations to safeguard the association’s reputation, Chin asserted: “Ding’s actions have crossed a line, necessitating transparency for justice.”
He also said that the association had been staying silent on the matter to protect its reputation, and that it wished to settle the dispute amicably.
“Unexpectedly, this approach only emboldened Ding, leading to increasingly outrageous fabrications.
“We believe that his actions have crossed the line. Consequently, we find ourselves compelled to disclose the truth to the public for justice,” he said.
SME Malaysia’s internal audit issue
Addressing allegations regarding the association’s internal audit, Chin clarified that SME Malaysia never obstructed Ding from appointing another internal auditor.
“It is a lie that we stopped him from appointing one more internal auditor when, in actual fact, he forgot to call the intended assistant auditor after our first national council meeting held on November 26, 2021.
“During our 13th council meeting on April 10, Peng reminded Ding to appoint an assistant auditor, since he never bothered to call the internal auditor after the first council meeting.
“The meeting and reminder were recorded and (on record) Ding said that he had forgotten about it.
“If he truly and genuinely cares about the association and its constitution, as he claimed, (then) why didn’t he fulfil his duty properly and pay enough attention to proper requirements, and execute properly as claimed?”
Chin also claimed that Ding kept mum about the association’s financial audit during his term as the national treasurer from 2018 to 2020.
“When he found out recently that he didn’t get an internal audit done during his term, he just kept quiet and blamed it on the Covid-19 pandemic.
“He then approached the former internal auditor just to get his signature without even going through the audit process again.
Previously, Ding had alleged financial improprieties among office bearers, a claim SME Malaysia vehemently denies.
Ding also contested his removal from the association, arguing its invalidity. – April 30, 2024