I refer to your report Say 'tak nak' to lavish complex, PM told .

The question we should ask is this: Does Malaysia have athletes who will win gold medals to justify the establishment of such a lavish sporting complex in a foreign country?

I doubt it.

What sports did the government have in mind that justify this huge expenditure of public funds? I would have thought the smarter way is to identify those athletes who are the nation's medal hopes and send them off to train in those countries that could help them rather than build a costly white elephant abroad.

If those athletes are potential medal hopes, why don't they try to get sporting scholarships, for example, in the United States? Who are they anyway? And in what sport do they excel in? There are cheaper ways of doing things but for some strange reason, the authorities always find a more costly alternative. I wonder why?

Do we see Commonwealth countries from temperate countries building sporting complexes in tropical countries for their athletes? And what happens when sporting venues change or when sporting events take place in temperate countries during the hot weather? Or worse, in tropical countries?

The common practice is for the top athletes to go to a country to train before a major event. For example, Russia's top swimmer Alexander Popov went to Australia to train before the Sydney Olympics. People can move about, sporting complexes can't.

Some years ago ex-US President Jimmy Carter introduced zero-budgeting. In principle, it is a great idea. It requires an expenditure to be justified. Can our youth and sports ministry justify the public funds to be spent on this proposed sporting complex in the UK?

If Abdullah Ahmad Badawi is true to his mission of being thrifty with the public purse, he would can this not-so-clever idea of building a sporting complex which is just to indulge a few athletes and even more officials.

How about providing decent playgrounds for the kids in the 'kampung'? As it is, Malaysians can't even find decent fields to kick a soccer ball about and there are scant amenities for average Malaysians who can't afford to join expensive fee-paying clubs.

The country should first enlarge its sporting population and concentrate on sports in which it has been traditionally strong and in events that it may win medals instead of doing something ridiculous.

Sometimes I wonder if those people who make these decisions have their priorities right. I say use the RM490 million more beneficially by helping those who need it rather than on athletes who should rely more on private sponsors.

At home, we have Malaysians struggling to cope with rising costs in everything and the government urges everyone to tighten their belts. And presto! out comes this extravagant sporting complex plan just another example of the abuse of power in the use of public funds.

This is so typical of the government. It says something and does the opposite. It is time the rakyat wake up and shake up a government out of touch with the real needs of its people.