Opinion: Learn from Brickendonbury, bin 2026 Games bid
15 Mar 2024
Citizen Nades
A legally qualified journalist and a good governance champion
Image Credit: Pexels - Victor Freitas
In 2007, a sleepy village northeast of London called Brickendonbury made the headlines in Malaysia. The Sports Ministry helmed by Azalina Othman Said wanted to develop the Tun Abdul Razak Research Institute's facilities into a "forward base" for Malaysian athletes competing in Europe.
From Day One, I was against the project as a wanton waste of money. It was a waste of public money, and for good measure suggested it would end up being a boarding place for selected politicians (read: Umno) and their cronies on their sojourns to London.
Many saw it as an opportunity for a selected few to plan their retirement!
Spin doctors and PR gurus (and self-appointed experts) - both local and foreign - were engaged to bolster the argument that it would be good for Malaysian sports.
When that did not work, a senior lawyer was roped in to threaten to prosecute me and the editor for “working against national interests” - whatever that meant.
The ambitious project running into several million ringgit was brought down to earth with a thud much later when the East Herts Council rejected the plans.
At about the same time, another “circus” came to town - the Champions Youth Cup (CYC) which nobody heard about until then.
A deal between the Sports Ministry and a London-Gifted Inc. was signed to fly in the youth teams of Inter Milan, Chelsea, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Lyon, among others, to the five venues - Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, Kuching, Alor Star and Kuantan - for the tournament to be held in conjunction with Visit Malaysia Year 2007 and Malaysia's 50th Merdeka celebrations.
Image Credit: Malay Mail
It cost a whopping RM17 million to Gifted’s Jonathan Price who among others told a packed press conference that the word “Malaysia” would be mentioned 3,000 times in the international media during the tournament.
To say the tournament was a flop would be an understatement. In many instances, the officials and volunteers outnumbered the paying spectators. In some venues, the gates were thrown open but even that did not help.
Learn from mistakes
Why go into history? Events of the past are supposed to be lessons not to repeat the same mistakes but judging by recent happenings, none have been learnt.
The biggest casualty in this whole affair as with the Brickendonbury and the CYC has been the truth. For expediency, facts are dispensed with and the might of office and the power of individuals come to the fore.
Unfortunately, Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias discovered it too late to have been vociferous in expressing his thoughts on plans to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“I wonder why there are suddenly certain people so adamant on the country hosting bigger events such as the Commonwealth Games,” he noted.
And sure enough, the ministry put him on the mat, especially after the promise of more openness. Is expressing an opinion taboo in the ministry? Must officials always follow the leader even if she or he is wrong?
It cost a whopping RM17 million to Gifted’s Jonathan Price who among others told a packed press conference that the word “Malaysia” would be mentioned 3,000 times in the international media during the tournament.
To say the tournament was a flop would be an understatement. In many instances, the officials and volunteers outnumbered the paying spectators. In some venues, the gates were thrown open but even that did not help.
Learn from mistakes
Why go into history? Events of the past are supposed to be lessons not to repeat the same mistakes but judging by recent happenings, none have been learnt.
The biggest casualty in this whole affair as with the Brickendonbury and the CYC has been the truth. For expediency, facts are dispensed with and the might of office and the power of individuals come to the fore.
Unfortunately, Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias discovered it too late to have been vociferous in expressing his thoughts on plans to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
“I wonder why there are suddenly certain people so adamant on the country hosting bigger events such as the Commonwealth Games,” he noted.
And sure enough, the ministry put him on the mat, especially after the promise of more openness. Is expressing an opinion taboo in the ministry? Must officials always follow the leader even if she or he is wrong?
Look at bigger issues
Channel News Asia reported that “Commonwealth Games chiefs praised Malaysia's “fantastic track record”.
Quoting a spokesperson, it said: “Malaysia has a fantastic track record of delivering sporting events, and the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur was hugely successful.
“We are encouraged by their early concepts of building on this legacy by using many of the same world-class facilities.”
Yes, many of them were (in 1998) world-class but these days, some are dilapidated, standing as monuments of extravagance and the Malaysian culture of lack of maintenance.
Image Credit: Malay Mail
In the meantime, many are selling the idea that the 2026 Games will commemorate Anwar Ibrahim’s comeback after being arrested while the event was held in Kuala Lumpur.
He was sacked from Umno and cabinet on Sept 2, 1998 - nine days before the 16th edition of the Games began. He was arrested a day before the Games ended on Sept 21, 1998.
The argument is that the 2026 Games will mark his struggle and resurgence as a world leader.
As one reader noted in his letter to Malaysiakini, “The symbolism of being prime minister during the 2026 games will not be lost on Anwar when he feels like the “comeback kid”.
Are there any compelling reasons to celebrate or mark those dark days? None.
With so many unfulfilled election promises, the prime minister and his coterie ought to be looking at bigger issues.
Anwar has not taken a salary since he was appointed, and he is not likely to blow a few billion ringgit to mark the dark days in our history. Hopefully, he will not be a victim of his folly.
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