JAN 24 — If national sports associations have been feeling the heat from Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, they can expect further scrutiny with the setting up of the Sports Advisory Panel (SAP) to be headed by Tun Ahmad Sarji Hamid.
Since Khairy took office last year, he has been on the ball, doing his best to raise the standard of Malaysian sports. He has been emphasising proper administration, management of funds and development programmes.
In the process, he has certainly stepped on the toes of the national sports associations, which have been doing their own thing all this while, without any checks and balances.
Khairy’s intentions are good but many of the national sports associations are upset with his interference. They have tagged him as gung-ho and out to impress, like all new ministers.
The fact is, Khairy is passionate about seeing Malaysian sport attain higher status in the world arena. And he is going about it in the right manner. He is not promising immediate results, but working on long-term plans.
Development programmes can be a thankless job, time-consuming, low profile and filled with frustration and hindrances. It is perseverance, determination and dedication that finally reap rewards.
All this while, Khairy strove alone to set things right in sport. Now, he has the impressive SAP behind him, whose members each have their own strengths and who are equally passionate about sport. Above all, they all share Khairy’s vision.
Naming Sarji as the head of the panel certainly elevates its status. The former chief secretary to the government and past president of the Lawn Bowl Association of Malaysia is known for his no-nonsense attitude and administrative skills. Lawn bowl was little known in Malaysia, but Sarji helped change that and bring honours to the country in the sport.
The London Olympics chef-de-mission is certainly the best man to helm the panel, which is very relevant to today’s context.
The other members who Khairy has picked are experts in their respective fields and will ensure the panel is run efficiently.
Datuk Seri Andrew Kam, besides being the president of privately owned badminton club Kuala Lumpur Racquet Club, is a barrister-at- law and is very familiar with sports arbitration law. George Koshy, a chartered accountant and national hockey team manager, also manages the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club. Veteran sports journalist Datuk Syed Nadzri Harun is equally passionate about sports and his media knowledge will serve the panel well.
Olympic Council of Malaysia representatives Tan Sri Mohd Noor Rahim and Datuk Low Beng Choo are veterans in the sports fraternity and their knowledge of problems the NSAs face will add accountability to the panel. Low is a lawyer, and like Mohd Noor, she is actively involved in international sports meetings. This boost the panel’s global connections.
Datuk Mazlan Ahmad needs no introduction for he is a veteran sports administrator with vast knowledge and ideas about sports. His input will be invaluable.
Khairy will name two more people in the panel — one each from Sabah and Sarawak — and together, all nine members will form a formidable group.
The panel could be the best thing that has happened to Malaysian sports and could put it back on the road to glory again.
The NSAs had better get their act together or be prepared to be hauled up and exposed as this panel is not expected to see Malaysian sports taken for a ride any more, especially with the billions of ringgit being spent on it yearly.
The National Sports Council (NSC) too should pay heed to the advice of the panel to streamline its role and work with the members. The panel should also see the NSC becoming less involved in the running of programmes for the national sports associations, which will ensure the latter are the ones that are doing the work and held accountable.
It is fine to assist the national sports associations, but they should not be spoon-fed by the NSC. The SAP will have to redefine the relationship between these two entities.
Indeed, the sports panel will have its hands full, but we can rest assured that it will chart a clearer path for Malaysian sport.
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malay Mail Online.
