analysis It was supposed to be a ‘clash of titans’, a chance for local tennis fans to watch legends of the game battle it out live. Instead of being a feather in the cap of the new Pakatan Rakyat state government, the ‘Kings of Tennis’ tournament has instead become an embarrassing debacle.

lim guan eng and penang The cancellation of the event has also dealt a big blow to the new Penang government, which prides itself as the country’s first ‘CAT’ administration based on competency, accountability and transparency.

Unsurprisingly, certain quarters have seized the opportunity to launch scathing attacks on the state government over what they perceive as a lack of competency on its part due to a failed private business venture.

But should the state government take sole responsibility for the cancellation of the event, which was to feature tennis greats like John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg and James Blake?

The event was scheduled to take place between Nov 14 and 17 in a makeshift grass court at the Esplanade.

It is learnt that the tournament organiser had spent RM2.5 million to construct the makeshift court with a 5,000-seat capacity. According to the Consumers Association of Penang, the cancellation is set to cost the organiser RM17.5 million in losses.

oh tong keong penang gerakan youth sec Penang Gerakan Youth chief Oh Tong Keong is blaming the state government’s "incompetency" in supporting the event as the main reason for its cancellation, which follows the failure of the Asean Cultural Centre in Bayan Baru.

'Private organisers will not come here'

He cautioned that Penang may soon face a dearth of private initiatives to organise such major events due to the lukewarm attitude of the state authorities.

"Private organisers will not come here if the state authorities do not support them," he told newsmen today after handing over a memorandum to Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s political secretary, seeking official clarification on the controversy.

He suggested that the state government should have immediately set up an ad-hoc organising committee to assist the local organiser to hold the event when it had first sought state support.

arianna teoh Event organiser Arianna Teoh has claimed that the event was cancelled due to a lack of support from the authorities.

However, the event’s Swedish-based promoter said in a statement on Tuesday that it was cancelled due to a lack of funds to pay the players.

So who’s at fault here?

An organiser who did not have the cash to pay the appearance fees for the players, or a state government who allowed the event to take place in Penang?

A costly lesson for all

The Penang government, on its part, agreed to waive the RM2 million deposit required from the event organiser for the use of the field, insisting instead on a rental of RM261,531.

State executive councillor Chow Kon Yew, who is in charge of local government affairs, said the organiser built the makeshift tennis arena without signing the contract deal initiated by the local municipality.

The chief minister has clarified the state government’s role in the event as just a supporter who helped by waiving the rental deposit required.

The state government, he insisted, was never was a co-organiser or sponsor of the event, and has vehemently refuted claims that his administration pledged to provide US$500,000 to fund the event, as reported by a Chinese daily.

anil netto Meanwhile, blogger Anil Netto said it would be a pity if this episode was allowed to fizzle out without any real lessons being learnt by all those involved.

He said the state government should always be wary and protect public interests at all times when dealing with private companies coming up with ideas and proposals.

He suggested that state authorities conduct background checks on such companies before awarding them permission to proceed with such events.

Netto also cautioned the state government to beware of private business initiatives that appeared to be ‘free’, with no cost to the state.

Background checks a must

"Surely they would expect something in return such as lax in regulations, licensing, usage of land, monopolistic advantage or a stepping stone to related ventures," he said.

From the beginning, it was apparent that the event’s organiser had failed to outline its corporate marketing plan to generate funds and carry out an extensive publicity blitz to invoke local interest and support.

The publicity for such a major event was surprisingly negligible. Except for a few news reports, hardly any banners and posters were put up in Georgetown to whip up excitement amongst Penangites that such a prestigious event was going to take place in their state.

Perhaps the organiser lacked funds to launch a state-wide publicity campaign to woo local businesses to sponsor the event. The failure of the event is now increasingly looking like a failed business venture.

Were organisers hoping for the state authorities to pick up the tab for their shortcomings? Is this a classic case of a cowboy riding his horse into quicksand knowingly, hoping for the sheriff to drag him out with a lasso?

Whatever the case, the DAP-led state government must treat this incident as a wake-up call. It simply cannot afford to have anymore of such debacles.