The national cooperative organisation, Angkasa, is mired in controversy. After years of existence, the National Cooperative Union of Malaysia (Angkasa) is in the doldrums.

It was anticipated that with the annual general meeting on Jan 10, we could see an end to the infighting and other controversies prevailing in Angkasa.

However, many questions and doubts have arisen which need the authorities to find a serious solution to the hidden problems prevailing in this organisation. For instance, the election process during the AGM was null and void.

Fifty percent of the delegates to the annual general meeting comprised of students and school teachers representing the school cooperatives. The fact that had been overlooked is that:

a. The members of school cooperatives are below 18 years of age. They are juveniles. They cannot enter into contracts.

b. The office bearers of the school cooperatives are minors without legal capacity.

c. However, the school cooperatives had sent delegates to attend and vote at the AGM.

d. The said delegates were invariably school teachers and school students. The said delegates voted at Angkasa's AGM in the various agendas and for the election of office bearers.

e. These school cooperatives, being composed of minors, have no authority to delegate any powers to the teachers to vote on their behalf or on their own as they are not legally qualified or entitled to vote

As such with no capacity to vote the teachers’ votes were invalid. As such the whole process of the AGM was null and void.

There is also the question of alleged mismanagement in Angkasa.

1. The management’s audit report of Angkasa has reflected various shortcomings.

2. It is known that a very senior official of Angkasa has approved a contract to a company in which he himself is involved.

The members of the board did not raise any queries or objection so thus they have aided and abetted the offence of the said very senior member of the board.

Angkasa has betrayed the cooperative fraternity.

1. Angkasa officials had misinformed the authorities when they said they had discussed the draft of the controversial Cooperative Commission Act and the major amendments to the Cooperative Act 1993 with the cooperative fraternity.

2. This as resulted on doubts of their representation as an apex organisation, which in turn has set two legal disputes into motion.

3. Angkasa had failed to discuss its shortcomings and mismanagement as reflected by the director-general’s report in contravention of Act 3(3)c of the Cooperative Act.

4. Accounts of expenditure for the year ending 2002 had been left out and only included in accounts for the year ending 2003.

5. Claims have been submitted in a haphazard matter.

6. Allowances have been paid in contravention of the set guidelines.

7. Allowances have been claimed without signatures.

8. ‘Day Use’ claims and payment have been made without set guidelines.

9. Average claims by office-bearers amount to an average RM7,000/ an issue which was the brunt of delegates’ complaints at the recent 25th AGM.

10. Gun-totting threats have been reported.

11. Angkasa initiated its own Amanah Saham Angkasa. Initial investments to the tune of RM500 million have now dwindled to about RM230 million and Angkasa's attempt to write off RM5.1 million at the AGM had been objected to.

The above are merely the tip of the iceberg. There are more controversies which have to be put right in Angkasa.

Under the circumstances, it is hoped that the entrepreneur and cooperative development minister would suspend the board of Angkasa and appoint a director of operations to carry out a thorough investigation and compile a report to be made available to the member cooperatives and the authorities.