Teeing Off To Politicking On The Green

Fast growth raises prickly issues. And a high profile only magnifies them. Ask Mahathir Mohammed. Or ask some of the leading members of the Delhi Golf Club, which has grown by tees and bounds over the decade. As they get set to elect a new committee and president this evening, many of the Clubs members are also focused on whether or not to make basic changes in the clubs organisation.

An extraordinary general body (EGM) meeting a month ago was abandoned, owing to bad weather and worse atmospherics. It had been called to vote on proposed changes in the articles and bylaws of the club. Another EGM is now scheduled for February 28, well after the new committee is in place.

Judging by the mood among a number of veteran members, the key changes proposed by the select committee that was appointed for the purpose a couple of years ago, are unlikely to go through even in February. There appears to be too much opposition for two-thirds of the members present and voting to agree to them.

Of course, most members agree immediately to the recommendations on making membership norms more transparent, so that admission and upgradation of members is strictly by turn, except for outstanding talent.

Many also agree that general committee members should take a break after three consecutive one-year terms. Some even talk of the club as a de facto monopoly of some people. But they acknowledge in the same breath that there are enough members who wouldnt want this change to go through, and enough of their friends in the general body to block the recommendation.

The hot potato that almost definitely will not go through for a good long while is the select committees idea that the Captain, the chief executive of the golf course, should be elected directly by the general body, as the president is. At present, the Captain is elected by the general committee, which is elected once a year by the general body.

Both the candidates for presidency say it is not a terribly good idea. If a Captain is elected, and 13 members of a general committee are also elected separately, there will be a fight, says financier Som Dutt, one of the candidates. His rival, former bureaucrat Ravi Kathpalia, adds: It can completely change the power structure and the method of running of the club, and could throw into turmoil an established structure.

The select committee consists of former Jammu and Kashmir Governor G C Saxena, former air chief marshall Arjan Singh and former ITC chairman AN Haksar. One of them argues that the direct election of the Captain would strengthen his hands as the chief executive and obviate the many clashes between him and the president. He speaks of the arbitrary exercise of power by a section of the committee and a tendency by presidents to behave as chief executives rather than the father figures they ought to be. He also points to groupism and ad hocism by whichever section of the general committee succeeds in electing their candidate as the Captain.

Dutt acknowledges that clashes between the president and the Captain have surfaced over the past few years. For his part, he says, he would act as an elder statesman. Kathpalia says he disagrees that there have been clashes and holds that crucial decisions must be taken by the president, while the Captain takes charge of running the courses.

Whatever views leading members may have on how the club needs to be run, they all seem to agree that, with its slickly manicured courses behind a clubhouse nestled in superbly restored ruins of medieval Delhi, the club is among the best.

The point, they all say, is that a fine institution should not decline because of its inability to grapple with the pressures of growth and ever-increasing importance.

The elite Delhi Golf Club grapples with the wood as it takes a stance to tee-off a new committee and president today