A new serious confrontation has erupted within the ranks of the Federation of Federation of Greek Elderly Citizen Clubs of Melbourne and Victoria, which has recently been plagued by internal strife.
Everything began after the decision of the Federation’s president, Yiannis Kostoulias, to run for re-election.
The elections that were in the process of being held in April, were cancelled due to objections.
In new elections that were to be held, Kostoulias ran again as a candidate, but the elections did not proceed as there were not enough candidates.
Neos Kosmos recently received a copy of a complaint from two parties, which was also sent to Australian authorities. Kostoulias responded to the complaint.
The complaint is as follows:
“Dear members of the Federation of Greek Elderly Citizen Clubs of Melbourne and Victoria,
With this letter, we would like to publicly and officially announce our complaint to the Board of Directors, to all members of the Federation, the community, and the relevant authorities, regarding the unacceptable functioning of the Federation and the actions of Mr. Ioannis Kostoulias, the former resigned president and current president, concerning the processes of the recent elections, which were conducted without transparency and the necessary procedures stipulated by the Federation’s statute and the law.
The club – Greek elderly citizens club of Thornbury and the Elderly of the club ‘Olympians’
WE JOINTLY DENOUNCE:
Mr. Ioannis Kostoulias and all those involved in the process of the recent elections, for the inappropriate behaviour towards elderly individuals, where through oppressive behaviour, they prevented our clubs from attending and participating in the vote to elect a new Board of Directors, deeming our presidents and clubs undesirable in a roundabout way. Initially, as member organisations of the Federation, we were never informed about the names of the candidates (who and how many had submitted candidacies), so that our clubs could transparently vote for the person they believed would represent us in the Federation’s Board of Directors.
Both Mr. Ioannis Kostoulias, in coordination with Mr. George Karvelas, through oppressive behaviour, prevented Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas (president of the Greek elderly citizens club of Thornbury) as well as the president of the Olympians Club, Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos, from submitting their candidacies for the new Board of Directors elections.
Additionally, through a phone call, Mr. Ioannis Kostoulias, in the evening, a few hours before the elections, informed the president of the Olympians Club, Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos, that it would be better for our clubs not to attend the next day’s elections to avoid any ‘misunderstanding’ and ‘trouble.’
Finally, we were informed that on the day of the elections, Messrs. Kostoulias and Karvelas persistently tried to prevent another member of another club, who had also submitted a candidacy for the elections, from entering the hall.
Specifically, despite having officially submitted a candidacy application, he was arbitrarily prevented by the above, who told him he would have to leave, or they would call the police and create trouble.
The member, refusing to leave, waited for more than an hour outside until the two gentlemen decided to allow him entry.
The final result was that we were informed by the media that no elections took place, pretending that it wasn’t necessary since there were only seven candidates, after which they elected a Board of Directors on their own with Mr. Ioannis Kostoulias as president.
Dear members and fellow community, with all the above incidents, we are dissatisfied and disappointed, but also certain that we denounce to everyone that these elections were not conducted under democratic processes, with transparency and as mentioned in the statute, and we declare that we do not recognize this Board of Directors of the Federation as legitimate.
The behaviour and actions of Messrs. Kostoulias and Karvelas are not appropriate for a Federation of the stature that the Greek Elderly Associations of Melbourne should have.
For these reasons, with the unanimous agreement of our members, we denounce the elections as unacceptable and naturally irregular, and we request the resignation of the so-called new Council, transparency and accountability, the appointment of state observers, and the conduct of new elections.
With the approval of the members
Konstantinos Dimoulas (Greek Elderly Citizen Clubs of Thornbury)
Panagiotis Drakopoulos (president of the Elderly Olympians Club).”
KOSTOULIAS’ RESPONSE
The president of the Federation, Yiannis Kostoulias, responded as follows to the complaint-protest:
“Reading the Complaint – Protest of Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos (president of the Olympian Elderly Club) and Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas (president of the Thornbury Elderly Club) regarding the handling of the Federation by Mr. Yiannis Kostoulias and the lack of transparency in the recent elections, we highlight:
The gentlemen write on behalf of their members, accusing Mr. Yiannis Kostoulias of the recent election process, oppressive behavior towards their club representatives, and preventing them from participating in the vote and submitting their candidacy applications for the new Board of Directors of the Federation.
Our response to this complaint is that it was never stated that Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos and Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas are unwanted in the Federation. Quite the opposite. Mr. Yiannis Kostoulias recently visited the Olympians Club and Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos in a friendly manner and received a very warm and friendly reception. Moreover, Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos expressed the highest praise for the president of the Federation, Mr. Yiannis Kostoulias, in front of his club members.
Regarding the election issue, the Federation has always been available to its members for any desired information.
On this matter, we want to inform you that on May 24, 2024, President Yiannis Kostoulias had a telephone conversation with Assistant Treasurer Mr. George Karvelas at the Federation’s office. At that moment, Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos and Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas came to the Federation’s office to submit their candidacy applications for the new Board of Directors of the Federation. Mr. George Karvelas, after greeting the two members over the phone, asked Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos:
‘Mr. Drakopoulos, you have every right to submit a candidacy application, but I have one question. If you are not re-elected as president of the Federation, will you resign again and request the cancellation of the elections? This cannot continue. And I inform you that on election day, I will mention this in front of the plenary to inform them of the situation that has arisen.”
At that moment, Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas expressed his desire to Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos to leave if they were to resign again.
After the conversation, I asked Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos and Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas to go for a coffee, to speak more calmly, and to try to understand that the cohesion of the Federation is paramount, not personal ambitions.
Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas then asked me if I would run for candidacy again, and I informed him that I had already submitted my application. He then said to me in a stern tone: ‘Michael told me that Kostoulias is not leaving.’
For whom he was speaking and what he meant, let him explain himself.
With Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos, indeed, the night before the elections, we had a phone conversation. Our relationship was very friendly up to that point, so I asked him if he would attend the elections.
Here I want to inform you that Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos was the one who requested the cancellation of the first elections held on April 5, 2024.
In the first elections, there was a count of 71 eligible voters, and the final result was 77 valid votes, which Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos received.
During the board meeting to form the new Board of Directors, when Mr. Yiannis Kostoulias asked where the Election Committee was, he replied it was not necessary to be present. Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos and Ms. Toula Sardeli expressed interest in the position of president, and after a vote, Ms. Toula Sardeli was elected president with 4 votes against 3 for Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos.
Immediately, Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos resigned from the Board, saying, ‘I am nobody’s puppet’.
Despite my request not to make hasty and impulsive decisions and that other positions were available on the Board for him to offer his services, his decision was categorical and irrevocable, saying he took orders from no one due to his stature. The next day, Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos spoke of invalid elections and the annulment of the Board from the moment he resigned.
A week later, at the first meeting of the new Board of Directors, Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas, along with Ms. Soula Kolokitha, resigned, and Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas requested the annulment of the elections, saying that he and Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos would take the matter to court if the elections were not annulled.
When asked by Ms. Toula Sardeli why he had not made an objection earlier, he replied, ‘My friend was running for president’, and then requested the annulment of the elections. Mr. Konstantinos Dimoulas demanded elections only for the position of president.
Finally, I wanted to say that it is not the first time Mr. Panagiotis Drakopoulos has made a complaint. The first time was when I took over the presidency of the Federation 7 years ago when he was not a member of it, driven then, as now, by other factors, and he came to the Federation’s meeting and demanded to become a member at that moment and have a say in the plenary. The letter then also came from the office of a minister.
Ultimately, if they cannot tolerate Yiannis Kostoulias, why do they not call the plenary for a General Assembly to decide on my removal or not? Is it correct to resort to the media, the relevant authorities, and the internet, complaining and creating problems and defaming the Federation?
A question: Who is behind this, and what interests are being served?
Yiannis Kostoulias
President of the Federation of Greek Elderly Associations of Melbourne.“
