Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Priorities!

Among the other recommendations that was derived from the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Conference for the Strategic Plan for 2011-2016 on Saturday, was that the former must engage and have close rapport with the Government through the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
It is not that OCM have not been doing this, but it was merely underlined in the Conference of the importance of a good relation in the best interest of sports in the country.
After all, Malaysian sports receive a great deal of funding from the Government, through their agency - the National Sports Council (NSC).
However, OCM president, Tunku Tan Sri Imran Almarhum Tuanku Ja'afar, told the participants of the Conference that attempts and efforts have been made to meet Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, but the latter has not met them yet.
Ahmad Shabery assumed his portfolio as the Youth and Sports Minister on April 10, 2009. It has been nine months now and he has yet to meet OCM formally.
Understandably, Ahmad Shabery is a very busy man having to take care of both youth and sports.
He also has to fly overseas for many international meetings, Games and arranging training stints and development programmes.
Maybe, OCM does not list among his priorities in his long list of things to do in his tenure as the Sports Minister.
However, just to point out, among the objectives, role and programmes listed by OCM include:



2. Objectives of the Olympic Council of Malaysia
2.1.3 To act as the co-coordinating body for all sporting organisation in Malaysia. 


3. Role of the Olympic Council of Malaysia
3.2 Collaborate with the NSAs, government agencies, and IOC for the development and training of athletes, coaches, technical officials and sports administrators for competitive sports as well as sport for all. 


5. The Programmes of the Olympic Council of Malaysia
5.1 provide services, advice and assistance to the NSAs and to other sport organizations. 

For the record, OCM under their umbrella have 34 affiliates (National Sports Associations) and 16 NSAs who are Associate Members.

Surely engaging OCM, will give the Sports Minister an insight on the goings on with NSAs and a platform to address issues more effectively.
Not too long ago too, when Datuk Ahmad Shabery had paid a visit to the National Press Club (NPC) and met its members over dinner and had an informal discussion on Malaysian sports, he had promised to meet all Sports Editors and journalists in a fortnight's time for a forum to discuss Malaysian sports in-depth and exchange ideas to improve Malaysian sports standards. He had even instructed his Special Officer to arrange for the meeting.
I may be wrong, but I do not think that has happened either.
Yes, he met the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia members (SAM), but media personnel who met him that night at the NPC, were not present.
But to be fair to the Sports Minister, he probably has his hands full and is trying to juggle his time to hear and please everyone.
So let us all be patient!



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

my friend, ocm is a non existent body in sport. it's just a post office, wrongly funded by the govt. even the msn/isn and other dg's don't attend their meetings. what more the minister. not his fault, ocm is not important anymore.

Ms. MOM said...

Level Field, The Sports Minister is a busy man, just give him a break la. Visit OCM is hardly that important, all OCM need to do is just stick to their objectives and all will be okay.
To many in the sports arena like the MSN, OCM is just another sports body to send their athletes to the Games only. They dont care about the OCM program and OCM does not bother their athletes especially the elite squad.
Give the man a break , the Minister have more important things to do than to have tea with OCM chaps.