TWO captains commanding one ship make it sink.
That was how the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) president Datuk Seri Megat Shahriman Zaharuddin described the Malaysian contingent’s failure to meet their four gold medal target in the recently concluded Paris Paralympic Games.
President of PCM since 2019, Megat reportedly accused the National Sports Council (NSC) of meddling in the management of the contingent, creating a situation of “two captains in one ship”.
He claimed PCM had faced similar issues across four events – the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, the 2023 Phnom Penh Para Asean Games, and the Paris Paralympics.
Malaysia finished 42nd overall, winning two gold, two silver, and one bronze medal.
The two gold medals were secured by para badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou in the men’s singles SU5 and powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin in the men’s 72kg category.
Abdul Latif Romly clinched silver in the men’s long jump T20 (intellectual disability), while Ziyad Zolkefli took silver in the shot putt F20 (intellectual disability).
The bronze came through Eddy Bernard in the men’s 100m T44 (physical disability).
NSC director-general Abdul Rashid Yaakub hit back by saying Megat’s statement was reckless, extreme, and hasty.
Although chef de mission Datuk R. Subramaniam quashed the allegation of being bullied by the NSC, it is time for the government agency to conduct an introspective reflection, take a step back and have an honest and open discussion with PCM, or even the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), custodian of all multi-sports games for the able-bodied.
The sports family understand NSC’s role, clearly defined by the NSC Act 1971, which is to coordinate the high performance sports in the country.
With NSC using taxpayers’ money to fund Malaysian sports, the agency are having two bites of the apple by undercutting the National Sports Associations (NSAs) by making the corporate sector their sponsors as well.
The Federal Government has taken its share from various taxes but NSC continue to entice the corporate sector to contribute to their coffers, while the NSAs struggle to do so.
Perhaps NSC may consider reverting to its rightful role of being the facilitator of elite sports and supporter of the NSAs.
While NSC continue to grow stronger in terms of their workforce, the NSAs remain reliant on ageing volunteers with little chance of attracting the youth to join them.
NSC suffer from the perception they are taking over the role of associations due to their financial muscle.
In making the call for NSAs to be more independent, NSC’s centralised planning system and implementation of programmes for sports is not helping at all.
As often argued by the former OCM secretary the late Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, NSC cannot and should not continue as both a funding and an implementing agency.
It is a conflict of interest that can and may lead to corrupt practices and abuse of power.
NSC should only be a funding agency, approving funds to the associations based on programmes prepared in accordance with basic rules and conditions.
After granting the funds, NSC should supervise and monitor if the funds are used properly.
To this end, the Youth and Sports Ministry “empowerment” method for NSAs that will see the government distribute funding for them every four months (January to April, May to August, and September to December) may be a step towards the right direction.
The funds cover athlete and coach management, performance management, development programmes, and support services. And the NSAs’ accounts will be audited by NSC-appointed auditors.
The first phase of the programme will support the Podium and national back-up programme for this year. It involves 19 NSAs and 23 sports.
The NSAs have agreed to the terms set by the NSC management board where they are required to sign the agreement.
Secondly, they must set up a separate account to receive the allocations from the NSC. Thirdly, they must allow the accounts to be audited by NSC-appointed auditors.
But it remains to be seen if the NSC are willing to relinquish the captaincy of the ship to the NSAs.
