COMMENT | Dear Young Man,

I think I am entitled to address you this way (not “bro”, as you have suggested) because when I covered my first cricket match in 1968, you were not born, not conceived and your parents were not even married.

When the Sports Ministry under (the late) Hamzah Abu Samah was launched in 1971, it occupied just one floor of the Jabatan Ukur building on Jalan Semarak. Your predecessor Khairy Jamaluddin’s father was its first secretary-general.

I may have switched to writing on good governance and a bit on politics, but my heart is still with sports. I keep a close watch on sports and am still in contact with people who matter. Wherever and whenever possible, or when the situation demands, I dabble in sports writing.

Young Man, the public knows you are a good debater and these talents will hold you in good stead as far as the youth departments are concerned.

Let me not frighten you, but I say be careful - very careful - when you step into any of the sports-related departments and agencies. You will be entering a vipers’ nest, infested with all kinds of vermin of the humankind.

If you escape them, along the corridors, you’ll come across many “buaya” (crocodiles) who will swallow you whole for breakfast and spit out the bones.

Be warned that the politics within the ministry and its agencies are far more intense and critical than what you have experienced. It is not just a difference of views a’la BN vs Pakatan Harapan.

With so many factions, back-stabbing, poison pen letters and other efforts to undermine one another are part of the culture. These are extensions of political ethos which have been inculcated in the sports administration.

Ask journos to give you a run-down on the mafia that operates within and outside the environs of the ministry. Maybe the “kingmakers” will, for a while, retreat into their cocoons, only to spring out like venomous spiders ready to strike the moment you show any sign of weakness.

However, you can take consolation that a third force - a suspected felon and his unemployed wife - have abandoned their abode, a sprawling property in Putrajaya’s 10th Precinct. This was where some of the biggest decisions on sports were taken.

However, be aware of the few who want to be remembered as remnants of the Madame’s faithful order.

Many of us in the media tried to change the mindset and philosophy to bring about a better sports culture, but we failed. Even the country’s foremost football writer, Fauzi Omar, did not last long as a board member of National Sports Council (NSC).

Some, like me, got away unscathed but other journalistic brethren paid for their forthrightness and outspokenness with their jobs. Many were left by the wayside to fend for themselves when politicians ruled and called the shots. Phone calls to editors and media owners featured commonly from the offices of your predecessors.

Snakes in the ministry

Unless sports administrators and officials knew “how the system works,” they never lasted long. Long before George Bush Jr coined his infamous “If you are not with us, you are against us” decree, it was already evident along the corridors of the NSC and related agencies.

One of the early attempts to try and bring prudent and practical policies was met with opposition and resistance but fortunately, they were mere volleys of blanks.

When I questioned Azalina Othman (photo), who was the minister in 2007, on the need to spend RM18 million on an unknown football competition, she was unable to provide plausible and acceptable answers.

Cornered and unable to respond, she resorted to the oldest trick in the politician’s book. She challenged me: “If you don’t like our policies, stand for elections.”

Humility, diffidence and modesty were rare commodities indeed. Call it poetic justice, Azalina has now found herself a seat on the opposition benches.

Young Man, I am a firm believer that sports should be run by sportsmen (and women) - not by some retired pen-pushing civil servant or some politician who uses it as a ladder to secure positions.

There are scores of former sportsmen and women with the knowledge and expertise whose services can be used to further and improve sports. A few did yeomen service for the nation but alas, they were shown the door or unceremoniously dumped because of politicking.

If you run through the archives and retrieve old video clips, you’ll discover how the system works. Some of your officials have gone to more international events (Olympics, Asian Games, etc) than some sportsmen.

In any big event, the march-past is often manned by the participants but in the case of Malaysia, Sports Ministry officials have been in the forefront.

Young Man, do not get involved in the petty politics of national sports associations (NSAs). Having said that, there are rogue officials and rogue organisations but leave them alone. Do not take sides in their internal feuds and let the sports commissioner act independently without your involvement.

Finally, do not usurp the powers of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), a body recognised internationally and by the International Olympic Council (IOC).

Do not try and “control” sports or the NSAs. This will incur the wrath of the IOC and Olympic charter forbids government intervention in sports and its administration.

Kuwait paid for this dearly when its suspension meant that their athletes had to compete under the IOC flag at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Young Man, please tread carefully. The stairs are old and creaky. There are the leftovers of the past and unseen hands that are waiting to give a gentle nudge and make you tumble. Be warned - there are more snakes within than in the San Diego Zoo.

R NADESWARAN knows enough of the inner workings to offer some unsolicited advice to the new minister. Comments: citizen.nades22@gmail.com

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.