Sunday, December 17, 2006
Malaysia wins 8 gold medals in Doha
Malaysia won 8 gold medals at the recently concluded Doha Asian Games and one cannot but notice that 14 out of the 15 gold medalists are non-Malays. I do not like to see things through race-tinted lens as our politicians are so fond of doing but I believe this recent development delivers a sobering reality for all those in power who still cling on to hopes of creating top-notch Malay sportsmen and women, at the expense of talented Malaysians who happens to be non-Bumiputera. There is no NEP in the sports arena, no racial quotas which can bring quick sporting success to Malaysia. Gold medals at the top level can only won by grit and talent, although I still believe that even without talent, a sportsperson can reap success through sheer hard work, determination and the all important will to win. 13 Malaysians of Chinese descent and the notable squash world champion Nicol Davids came home with the ultimate Asian accolade as the best in the continent.
Where are our track and field athletes who used to command respect in the continent? There are now hardly any Malaysian Indian athletes in the Malaysian contingents sent abroad to fight for sporting honour. It is a fact that there are many talented young, long distance runners of Indian descent in this country, many of them who have the aptitude for hard training and the will to succeed. Unfortunately, we do not see these runners donning the national colours anymore. I refuse to believe that these runners are not good enough to represent the country, especially when there are so many of them running and winning at the Sukma Games. By depriving them a chance to compete at a higher level and bring glory to the nation, is a travesty.
Is there a dearth of such athletes in this country or is there a deliberate attempt to sideline them in favour of their Malay counterparts even if they do not have the correct aptitude? An New Straits Times article a few weeks back, also touched on the shortage of footballers of Chinese descent at the national and state level. Such things have happened before; in tennis when talented Indian players were not given enough funding to continue playing at the higher levels. Affirmative action gone haywire is fast becoming a dirty word in Malaysian society. It certainly will not work in the sporting arena.
The authorities are hoping now for a Malaysian athlete to win gold at the Olympics. I am sure they would prefer a Malay to win the first such honour. That will after all, give UMNO something to crow about. I believe Malaysia will win it one day but going by the recent performances of Malaysians at Doha, it's a fair bet that the country's first gold medalist is likely to be a non-Bumiputera. I wonder if the government can live with such a scenario. ¶ 5:00 PM
Where are our track and field athletes who used to command respect in the continent? There are now hardly any Malaysian Indian athletes in the Malaysian contingents sent abroad to fight for sporting honour. It is a fact that there are many talented young, long distance runners of Indian descent in this country, many of them who have the aptitude for hard training and the will to succeed. Unfortunately, we do not see these runners donning the national colours anymore. I refuse to believe that these runners are not good enough to represent the country, especially when there are so many of them running and winning at the Sukma Games. By depriving them a chance to compete at a higher level and bring glory to the nation, is a travesty.
Is there a dearth of such athletes in this country or is there a deliberate attempt to sideline them in favour of their Malay counterparts even if they do not have the correct aptitude? An New Straits Times article a few weeks back, also touched on the shortage of footballers of Chinese descent at the national and state level. Such things have happened before; in tennis when talented Indian players were not given enough funding to continue playing at the higher levels. Affirmative action gone haywire is fast becoming a dirty word in Malaysian society. It certainly will not work in the sporting arena.
The authorities are hoping now for a Malaysian athlete to win gold at the Olympics. I am sure they would prefer a Malay to win the first such honour. That will after all, give UMNO something to crow about. I believe Malaysia will win it one day but going by the recent performances of Malaysians at Doha, it's a fair bet that the country's first gold medalist is likely to be a non-Bumiputera. I wonder if the government can live with such a scenario. ¶ 5:00 PM
