Harassment cannot be condoned

It's come to my knowledge that within the last few days, there was a chess coach that had made some disparaging remarks in a public setting against one of our top women chess players. The remarks have not gone down well within the local chess community. Players are unhappy over the incident and a report against this chess coach has been made to the Malaysian Chess Federation. 

This matter, however, seems to be a little beyond the scope of the national chess body to deal with since the coach was entrusted by the Ministry of Higher Education to coach the national universities chess team. Nevertheless, the Federation can and should charge the culprit for bringing the game into disrepute. 

Despite the coach offering an apology for his actions, I fear that the damage has already been done. Mere apologies cannot erase the uneasiness and lack of trust between him and the chess players under his guidance. It is difficult to envision a scenario where anyone can place their trust in him again. His honour and standing have been severely compromised. Making sexist remarks against another person puts him in the same category as a sexual harasser, which is morally unacceptable. If I were in his position, I would consider tendering my resignation. It is clear that nobody, and I mean nobody, can continue working with him under these circumstances.