Foul!

As published in Malay Mail today Being Frank  By Frankie D'Cruz MERDEKA Stadium looks about 80. But she is not, she is 58. That is not old age, but it is not young either. She deserves to have pride of place in the altar of celebrations as the nation revels in 58 years of independence. But she is all alone, almost in embarrassing anonymity. She looks aged and forgotten while Malaysia, her same age, looks the opposite — riveting. My point? The very spot where Tunku Abdul Rahman stood on the morning of Aug 31, 1957 to declare Malaya’s independence from the British is missing in the towering significance of Merdeka Day cheeriness. The joy is further dampened by the stadium being a victim of historical amnesia. You must agree with me that in the current struggle for national recovery, the stadium which in recent decades fell into disuse, would have been a beneficial venue for inspiration. Turns out it is historical disrespect. Consider: Eight years...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol IT started with an email from a long-time Juventus fan, Jason Ong. Ong, had in his Aug 13 email, said Serie A fans were disappointed upon learning Astro would not be airing the Italian league. “I would like to ask if there is anything you or Malay Mail can do to help us voice our disappointment,” he said. A Juve supporter for 20 years and committee member of Juventus Club Malaysia, Ong’s frustration is understandable. It mirrored the disappointment M-League fans suffered earlier this year as only selected matches were aired live. It remains unclear if there will be any live matches when the Malaysia Cup kicks-off next month. Upon obtaining clarification, I had on Aug 14, tweeted: “Astro is in the midst of negotiating broadcasting rights for Serie A. Sports ain’t cheap these days.” Yes, sports is not cheap. It was reported on July 10 that Telefonica had bought the La Liga rights for the 2015-2...

As published in Malay Mail today Being Frank By Frankie D'Cruz BRAND Malaysia is again being portrayed irresponsibly — this time, schoolchildren in Penang have been thrust into political crossfire instead of being taught the values of independence. Barring students from the Merdeka Day parade in Penang is cheap, silly and unkind to them.  Penang’s slogan ‘Bersih, Cekap, Amanah’, (Clean, Fair, Trustworthy) for this year’s state celebrations as opposed to the national theme #sehatisejiwa (One Heart, One Soul) was pointless.  The nation must stand as one. It is the biggest national event and political differences must be cast aside. However, both the Education Ministry and the state government seem to be at a loss over how to inspire a national day party. They are clearly clueless over how to motivate children to be proud of the nation and respect the great leaps Malaysia has made since independence. They have no idea of the poetry of togetherness and...

As published in Malay Mail today Haresh Says By Haresh Deol IT has been acknowledged as a flood-prone area by the authorities since the 1960s. Yet, little has changed for those living and trading in Kampung Kasipillay. Perhaps inaction is Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s cynical way of preserving history, to compliment the Low Yat buildings that still stand strong amid the rapid development in the area. What used to be the Low Yat sawmill and other light industries have now turned into commercial banks and restaurants. The population ratio, too, has increased with several new high-rise buildings. Yet, flash floods continue to cause mayhem there, disrupting traffic and wrecking homes. Efforts were undertaken in the past but failed to address the situation. Water continues to enter homes despite the nearby Sungai Batu being realigned, widened and lined with concrete walls in the 1980s.  The latest flooding incident happened last Thursday. It is baffling that s...

As published in Malay Mail today HARESH SAYS By Haresh Deol THE national attire hogs the limelight for the not-so-right reason, yet again.   Mesuma Sports Sdn Bhd had last week initiated legal proceedings against the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) after the sports company claimed it was not given the opportunity to exercise the right of first refusal to extend its sponsorship agreement for another four years as stated in the agreement between both parties.    Mesuma Sports has been providing the national contingent the tiger-stripe jersey since 2006 until it got into a spat with National Sports Council (NSC) over the ownership of the design in 2011.   While Mesuma Sports' George Heng has every right to proceed with legal action, some have questioned the timing as it comes before the OCM elections on Aug 22. Those contesting for positions are already going to town with the news as Mesuma Sports had also named OCM president Tun...

As published in Malay Mail today By Jahaberdeen Mohamedd Yunoos IN the midst of seeming confusion surrounding the business of 1MDB, there appears to be a major confusion among some sectors of the public on what a “whistleblower” is in law. A whistleblower, in law, is not someone who whistles any tune or music loudly in public with the purported motive of disclosing a wrongdoing by some government department. If that was the legal position, then any number of government agencies can be vilified and undermined in public on the pretext of whistleblowing. Likewise, writing a blog article for example, based on so-called inside information, to disclose a purported wrong by say, a minister or a ministry, also does not qualify as whistleblowing in law. The blog writer, contrary to his expectations, could end up committing various crimes and may even face potential civil liability if his accusations of wrongdoings are levelled at individuals. For this reason and reasons ...

As published in Malay Mail today Comment by Loghun Kumaran Picture by Farhan Najib mmsports@mmail.com.my AS the wooden tracks at the Velodrome Rakyat in Ipoh lie rotten like the ruins of an ancient village house, the only things that seem to cycle around are the blame game and excuses. For the last two years, the velodrome, built 26 years ago, has been left at the mercy of the elements without adequate maintenance. It was declared unusable in 2013. Could its present state been avoided? Yes, it’s just that no single authority assumed responsibility for its upkeep. And while fingers are being pointed at each other, Malaysia’s first velodrome — built on public donations — continues to rot away. Mailsport exposed its condition last month. On Monday Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin blasted the state government, Malaysian National Cycling Federation and the Perak Cycling Association (PCA) for neglecting the velodrome. These bodies, including Ipoh City Council (MBI) and ...

As published in Malay Mail today By Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos We have heard of the word “snowballing” before.  Those who have played with snow know if you let a small snowball roll down a slope, more likely than not, it gets bigger.  An unresolved problem may get bigger or a situation that is not controlled may become worse. This is called the snowball effect.  There were initially queries about 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). There were answers given in the press and even on national television by 1MDB and the authorities.  However, parties with vested interests and an “evil agenda”, to use the words of Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, manipulate the genuine concern of some Malaysians and snowballed the simple matter into an effort to thwart the peaceful practice of democracy.  Suddenly, the nation is being attacked surreptitiously, unknown to the ordinary citizens, as events seemingly innocently unfo...