Tanglin Club appoints new president; past presidents make plea to seek court redress

TANGLIN club has elected Chong Zhi Cheng, the club’s former convenor for membership & rules and co-convenor for sports, as its new president during a special general meeting (SGM) held on Monday (Aug 22).

An email circulated from the club’s general manager David Brightling to members on Aug 23, which was seen by The Business Times, confirmed the election of Chong in the top seat at the 157-year-old social club on Stevens Road.

Chong is the managing director of safety equipment distributor BIS International and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the National University of Singapore majoring in Economics, with a minor in Technopreneurship.

Sources privy to club matters shared that Chong was the only candidate who stood for the presidential election and that the SGM lasted for about 30 minutes, with no questions taken from the members present. Chong was also said to have played a pivotal role in the investigation of former president Yeoh En Lai’s questionable educational qualifications.

Separately, Henry Ling, who had contested in the elections to be president previously without success, did not contest in the elections against Chong this time round. A source who wished to remain anonymous noted that it was Ling’s view that he should have been the natural successor to Yeoh.

The SGM was not open to the media.

Meanwhile, 3 of the club’s past presidents - Sim Yong Chan, Joseph Chew and Richard Eu - banded together to propose seeking redress from the Supreme Court for guidance on the club’s affairs. Speaking to the media at a recent press conference, the trio noted that they are “extremely concernedabout the marked decline in standards of governance”.

Many of the club’s recent actions appear to be based on extraneous considerations ignoring both the interests of its 4,000 life and ordinary members as well as the club’s rules, the ex-presidents added.

“We have never had a precedent where a president has resigned and the general committee (GC) is without a president,” said Eu, Tanglin Club president from 1996 to 1997 and who is currently chairman of the board of directors of Eu Yan Sang. “We, as the past presidents, are proposing that we apply to the court, as a club, to ask for some guidance (on) how this is done.”

One instance where the club was not properly consulted was in an arbitration case last year, in which the club and 4 former committee members were respondents against the claimant Ling.

After Ling won the case, arbitration fees amounting to S$1.1 million was awarded against the 5 respondents, said Sim, who was club president from 2011 to 2014.

However, he added that the club - through Yeoh and its then general manager Peter Wood - sanctioned a cheque and payment voucher of S$1.1 million without consulting the GC nor the club treasurer.

“Within 24 hours, the club made up a cheque of S$1.1 million to be paid, even before a demand was made,” Sim said. “What transparency are we talking about? I’m sure the club has protocols, processes on paying such big sums of money... were they followed?”

The past presidents had sent a letter to the club’s GC on Aug 1 regarding their proposal to seek redress from the Supreme Court, to which the GC replied that the committee has discussed it on Zoom and that the letter has also been discussed by sub-committees - to which Sim said: “It’s a non-reply, really.”

Yeoh, however, disputes this version of events. In a letter to BT, Yeoh’s lawyers from Rajah & Tann said the payment had been made “in full reliance” on the advice given by the club’s lawyers from Allen & Gledhill at the time.

“The cheque of S$1.1 million was signed by our client and the former Tanglin Club general manager, Peter Wood, on behalf of, and approved by, the GC at the time (including the honorary treasurer at the time),” the letter noted.

The club’s internal audit sub-committee - independent of the GC and club management- together with its external auditors Ernst & Young, cleared the GC, which includes Yeoh, of any alleged impropriety in relation to the cheque-signing, the lawyers added.