Pereira gets unlikely backer ahead of athletics election
SINGAPORE — Lawyer Edmond Pereira is primed for a fiery battle for the presidency of Singapore Athletics when the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held on June 27, as he faces off against the association’s honorary secretary Ho Mun Cheong.
SINGAPORE — Lawyer Edmond Pereira is primed for a fiery battle for the presidency of Singapore Athletics when the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held on June 27, as he faces off against the association’s honorary secretary Ho Mun Cheong.
But the 66-year-old has found support in his upcoming battle from an unlikely ally — former athletics president Loh Lin Kok.
In an interview with TODAY, Pereira said he had approached honorary life president Loh — who helmed the national sports association from 1981 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2010 — to seek his endorsement for the presidency.
The duo met at the Singapore Cricket Club yesterday, said Pereira who explained why he sought out Loh who is also the president of local track and field club Swift Athletes Association.
“I’ve been told by many quarters that I should speak to him (Loh) ... He is a Swift man, they are one of the affiliates voting, and I want the Swift mandate,” he said.
“The meeting with him was very good, and he gave me insights into the association and what the challenges were.”
Added the Flash Athletic Club president: “At the end of it, he told me he will endorse me and give me his full support.
“I was looking forward to his endorsement, and I’m surprised and very happy that he has given me his full endorsement.”
Both men had crossed swords publicly in the past. Pereira challenged Loh for the presidency of the then-Singapore Amateur Athletic Association (SAAA) in 1983 and 2000, and lost to the long-serving chief on both occasions.
He had also previously represented former sprinter Haron Mundir and thrower Luan Wei when both athletes took legal action against the SAAA.
But Pereira stressed that the battles had not been personal vendettas. He told TODAY: “We had our differences then in the past. As I stand then and still do now, the reason why I took up the issue (for the two athletes) was because I was fighting for the rights of the athletes. It was nothing personal.
“I had some reservations (meeting Loh), but he’s a gentleman. We had our issues in court, but I hope I’m not his enemy. I was really happy that I was able to talk to him.”
On Tuesday, athletics chief Tang Weng Fei had announced that he would not be seeking re-election at the upcoming AGM, citing disagreements within the association as a reason for his decision to step down.
Pereira is hopeful that he can win the mandate from the association’s affiliate members on June 27, and he has assembled a team of veteran sports administrators, coaches and ex-athletes that includes vice-president (training and selection) C Kunalan, sprint coach Melvin Tan, and Olympian Poh Seng Song.
Aside from uniting the team, Pereira wants to work on developing young athletes for the national squad.
“I represent the athletes, and not the factions,” he said.
“We need a proper structure, infrastructure and goals. I feel that the athletes need a pick-me-up, I want to move the association forward. There are good athletes and the potential is there and we must build a base.
“My first goal is to develop the sport towards athletes’ excellence. Athletics is about the athletes, and not the officials.”
Nominations for the election will close on June 20, before the battle on June 27 for the sport’s top posts in its executive committee.