Sport Stateside; Pg

December 9, 1999

SECTION: Sport Stateside; Pg. 46

LENGTH: 543 words

HEADLINE: New MB can crack the whip

BYLINE: By Manan Osman

BODY: POLITICS and sports are inter-related. Hence, results from the recent general election could determine the future of sports in Perak. One result involved the prime mover, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Ramli Ngah Talib, who is now a Member of Parliament. Ramli has been Perak FA president for 17 years. Controversial deputy president Raja Datuk Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar, the driving force behind the State's team, may also step down now that he is a Member of Parliament. Raja Ahmad, who has been with Perak FA since 1987, vacated his State constituency of Batu Kurau to contest the Larut parliamentary seat. Since he has been elected MP, he may spend more time in Kuala Lumpur. Apart from being Perak team manager and FA of Malaysia vice- president, he was also Ramli's political secretary when he was Menteri Besar. Raja Ahmad's most notable achievement as team manager came when the State captured the coveted Malaysia Cup last year with Karl-Heinz Weigang hired as coach in 1997. The last time Perak had won the Malaysia Cup was in 1970, when they beat Kelantan 2-0 in the final. Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali, who was Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, has officially taken over as Menteri Besar and by virtue of his position, is expected to assume the FA president's post. Although it's premature to judge his capability at this juncture, all eyes will be focused on his policies regarding sports development in the State. Since Tajol is never known to be actively involved in sports and related organisations, everyone in Perak will be waiting to see if the new State Government is sports-oriented. In his 17 years as chief executive of the State, Ramli had put in place numerous sports infrastructure costing millions of ringgit. Tajol's role would be to ensure these facilities are fully utilised. Currently, certain facilities, including those built out of the people's generosity, are hardly ever used except when there are major events. One is the Velodrome Rakyat, so named as the project totalling RM3 million was borne by the rakyat. The other is the water sports complex in Tronoh, which was built when the State hosted the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in 1994. The velodrome, built in the early 80s, hosted the World B cycling championships and the Asian cycling championships last year but since then has been inactive. Perhaps, the City Council, which is managing the facility, should open the facility to encourage schools and young enthusiasts to take up cycling. Schools are not short of talents but a serious effort by the relevant bodies is needed to revive the sport and inject new life to the velodrome. More competitions, both at State and national levels, should be organised for the benefit of the sport. Similar attention must be given to the water sports complex which will slowly but surely die a natural death due to a lack of activities. Attempts to hold events like the water scooter championship had not received any encouraging response. Now, it s up to the new Menteri Besar to draw up a comprehensive action plan for the development of sports in the State. Effective and innovative ideas will augur well for the State as it marches into the new century.

GRAPHIC: Picture - Their moment ... Perak players celebrate with their fans after beating Terenggnau 5-4 on penalties in the 1998 Malaysia Cup final at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.

LOAD-DATE: December 9, 1999