Lessons For Malaysian Sports

It is the same old story again - early promise, dismal ending. This time, it was the national soccer team at the Asian Cup qualifiers. After showing promise in the first leg games (with a win and 2 draws) at home, they collapse in the next leg with 3 losses playing away (in Bahrain). With that Malaysia missed the chance to play in the final rounds of the tournament.

And this is not peculiar to soccer. The national badminton, squash, bowling and hockey teams have similarly failed us in the recent past. They raised our hopes in the run up to the finals only to disappoint us at the crucial moment.

Much has been said and written about Malaysian Sports failure to achieve greater heights. I see no point in repeating them here (the reasons, the excuses, the blame game and so on).

But I always believe, when things do not work following our ways, we can always learn from the example of the best - teams, players, et al’. A humbling action but rewarding none the less. I wrote about this in a letter to the sports desk of a local daily in 2000 (which as usual never saw print) immediately after the conclusion of European soccer competition the (Euro 2000).

I still believe that what I wrote then applies today. And, if it interest you, I would like to share it here.

Euro 2000 – Lessons for Malaysian Sports

And so it has passed, the European Championship for year 2000. Congratulations to France for achieving the “double”, European and World Champions. Thanks to all the competing teams for 3 weeks of thrills and spills, heroes and villains, elation and frustration, fluid flowing attack and stout, determined defense and whatever else you could look to from the legendary Pele’s “beautiful” game, football.

But through all this, none was as glaring and basic as the two qualities that make for this high level and entertaining football fest or more generally sports spectacle – professionalism and national pride. Herein lies the key to the uplifting of the dismal state of Malaysian sports.

The players showed us with their performance that being a professional is not just about earning a living from your chosen sport. It is about giving your best in the discharge of your professional duties as a sportsman, much like a surgeon when in the operating room. It is also about positive attitudes and commitment to training, the coaches and the desire to continuously bring oneself up another level in skills and fitness. The pictures of the teams in training showing the serious look on the faces of the players and the same seriousness they bring to the field on match days are ample evidence of this professionalism. And prima donnas they were not (a surprise when you consider that the best of the best in Europe were playing) judging from the post match interviews which showed responsibility in defeat and humility in victory.

Professionalism was also exhibited by the respective country’s FAs. One can hardly recall any official (the coach/manager aside) commenting on team selection and tactics despite the occasional errors in both aspects. They had considered and made their choice of who should lead their teams and were professional not to interfere.

And to reinforce all these, the coaches/managers exhibit single-mindedness focus on nothing but the team and the game during the course of the tournament. Never was there any mention of rewards or their future as such coach/manger. Their ultimate professional act was to know that having been given carte blanche over selection and tactics they have to accept responsibility for whatever happens on the field. So it was no surprise that those who failed were quick to resign not just offer to resign.

National pride? Who can forget the expression on the faces of the players when, hands holding or hands over each other shoulders, they partake of the pre-match national anthem ritual. Or their total collapse, literally, when losing a hard fought match – flat on their backs or heads between bended knees and shedding tears. What does all these show if not the pride and bruised pride of having been chosen to represent the country and of having failed the country, respectively.

In this “nationalism” (of the sporting kind, that is) lies the secret to the mental strength and indomitable spirit shown by the players, when the chips were down, to come back and secure victory in the face of “death”. The last minute goal victories are testimony to this.

So in the end, and you are talking of people who can earn as much as 45,000 pounds sterling a week playing club football, the honor of being able to put on the national jersey is still a much sought after goal, all other benefits of being a professional footballer notwithstanding. There are parallels to this in other sports too, the keenness of the millionaire NBA professionals in wanting to play for the USA in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992 as part of the “Dream Team”, is an example.

Malaysian sportsmen/sportswomen and sports officials could do well to reflect on the above-mentioned basic traits, so essential to achieve sporting success on a personal and collective level. Otherwise we sports fans would not only have lost sleep (as has happened in the last couple of weeks) but also any interest remaining in the oft quoted phrase Malaysia (Sports) Boleh .

Elections and Choices

It is said that one of the corner stone of democracy is the empowerment of the people to choose, among other things, who they want to govern them. The choice is entirely theirs.

The choice can be relatively simple, as in countries like the bastion of democracy, Britain, to make. It’s either Left or Right, I mean Labor or Conservatives. Akin to the Democrats or Republicans of the US of A. This is not to deny the existence of the Liberals, the Greens and what have you, but they are usually marginal.

Choices, however, are much more difficult to decide upon elsewhere. And Malaysia is a case in point. In the light of all the talk of an impending General Elections in the media (both print and online), Mail lists and Blogs, I venture my opinion of how difficult it is to choose and from a non-Muslim Chinese Malaysian perspective.

I started with a prioritized list of what I want (selfish, as it may sound, but important because whatever govt. policies, etc. are implemented will ultimately affect me as a citizen, for better or for worse) from whoever is the government of the day –


1. An assurance that my “periok nasi” (and by extension those of my family too) will be taken care off. And here, I do not mean expecting freebies from the government. We are willing to earn our keep, so to speak, but basic opportunities (like in education, in public sector employment and in business) should not be denied us.

2. Freedom, within the bounds of the law, to live our lives as we choose to. This is important to our social, cultural and religious well-being. Our ethnicity, values, beliefs (including faith) and even education shaped our lifestyle and unreasonable restrictions (on whatever grounds, secular or religious) must not be imposed.

3. A government that do not temper with basic human and democratic rights and also the institutions through which these rights are exercised and arbitrated. This being third in my list does not in anyway detract from their importance. It is just that this post, as I have stated earlier, is from a non-Muslim Chinese Malaysian perspective. Hence community considerations are mentioned first.


Now comes the hard part. Who should I choose to govern me that can meet my “wants”, if not totally at least substantially? Ideally it should mean a party neutral on race and religion (that is, not representing the interests only of a particular race or members of a particular faith) but fully aware, at all times, of the complexities of a multi-racial and multi-faith society.

The reality, however, of Malaysian politics, is that the major contending parties are almost all race-based, sadly.

BN may tout itself as the “national unity party” but it is really UMNO and friends, with UMNO taking the lead and calling the shots. And UMNO has always touted “ketuanan Melayu”. So I am not sure whether a BN government is the best choice to govern me.

What about BA? Again it is one strong sizeable party, PAS and another, that is Parti Keadilan Raayat (I am not sure whether this name is official yet).
But here again the membership is overwhelming Malay, though I concede that PKR has a semblance of being a multi-racial party. While BA has come out strong in their denouncement of corruption, cronyism and injustice, personally, I think they have not approached with the same fervor, the question of continuation Bumiputra rights, the creation of level “playing ground” for all races and related matters. Thus again I have my doubts about choosing.

PAS being an Islamic party also compounds the difficulty in making a choice.
Will they really be as “liberal” to non-Muslims as they say they would? The example of Kelantan and Trengganu states does not suggest so. My no. 2 “want” mentioned above will I think be seriously compromised if I vote PAS.

That leaves the outsider, DAP. Here I am skeptical they will ever shed their “Chinese party” label. Not only is their membership mainly Chinese, but because they are strong in urban areas, the issues they raise (the common complains about corruption, etc. aside) tends to overlaps the Chinese grievances and this has perpetuated the label. It would have been ideal if they had pursued social democratic issues instead, as expected of a party with socialist ties. These being more of “class” issues rather the race/religious ones, DAP might have been a choice for me. But my practical side tells me they do not have the clout to be able to run the country.

What then? Sometimes not choosing is a choice.

Mark of Respect

Can I suggest that as mark of respect to Johan (Joe) who had endeared himself to many of us bloggers, people refrain from pinging their postings to PPS, except if it is a message of condolence and the like, at least until he is laid to rest later this afternoon.

Speaking for myself, at times like this, I really don't care that the twin tower is no longer the tallest building or what that horror flick is all about.

Once again, may you rest in peace, Joe.

Very Sad If True

Got news the Johan Ismail (Joe's Blog) passed away at about 1 a.m. this morning. This is all I know at the moment. May he rest in peace.

My English not best but theirs more terok

My English not best one. But I don’t mind. Becos why? Becos people all can understand what I say or write, even foreigners like Singaporeans. Only last month I met Phua Choo Kang and he said, “Wah lau, your English not bad one. Don’t pray pray.” So I ackshun a bit lah and spoke like a mat salleh. “Of course, I am speaking Manglish!,” I said.

And so I cannot understand those fellas at MEDIFACE. They all one kind one-lah. Why can’t they just use Manglish? Then-ah, everybody can understand them. Instead they use….. what to call it ah?. Never main-lah, afturds use wrong term can kena sue. But, if I give you a few examples, you sure can know one.

"Mr. Dinesh Nair must be ranked as one of the out standing intellectual Dignity of Malaysia, and Malaysian must be thankful to God Almighty for having such a grand treasure of intellect, wit and truthfulness in form of Mr. Dinesh Nair, I am personally very much impressed from Mr. Dinesh Nair and infect it's his love, kindness and candour which provoke and then finally motivates me to write this article." From here

“Sometimes, when we want to have an ultimate satisfaction in life, a person will published it even it is no more with you. You see, that's for and to self actualize one self. That statement of mine is just a statement like many others who did the same in their biography when talking about experience.” From here

“Our Prime Minister, Yang Amat Berhormat Dato Seri Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamed urged the masses to take up the incentives provided in gearing to accommodate, to integrate, and to immerse ourselves into the national computerization system.”
From here

Aiyo, see what I mean. My head pusing man when I try to read. Some more blur only when I try to understand.

If only the Mediface people would use Manglish. But they dowan, Malaysia things awways no good. So must go America to study English. “I took up special class in American slang and English in Administration of Office Management, that is, AOM 320.” said their Chairman.

This is the trouble with some Malaysians. When Malaysia tak boleh, they want to boleh and when Malaysia boleh, they tak boleh.

Goodnight ah.

(Academic Note: Manglish spelling from MANGLISH by Lee Su Kim, Times Books International, 1998)

The Gunners

After my last two postings here and here which arose from emotions felt – one of nostalgia and the other mixed – I thought enough was enough. But then how can you write about your favorite EPL team without feeling the passion. And so I got caught again in the “emotion” thing. We are mere mortals, all of us.

'We were on the ropes... but showed resilience’ said Monsieur Wenger after last night’s game.They (Liverpool) played better BUT we (Arsenal) won, 2-1. And that is all that matters. Winning is everything, if not anywhere else, at least in the English Premier League. So we are still at the top of the table.

But dark clouds are hovering though. With 6 first choice players being charged by the English FA for misconduct during the game with Manchester United a forthnight ago and injuries to a few, the team could be “down to bare bones” as a story in today’s Sunday Mail said. “Their cumulative bans could total 25 games”, the story added.

All, we Gooners, can do is hope that the injured will recover soon (Bergkamp and Ljungberg) and those charged will be let off with lesser punishment.

It can be said that the team brought all this unto themselves. They could have been more restrained, Captain Patrick Vieira particularly.

There are no doubts about Patrick’s passion and commitment to the team and the game. But showing these qualities without tempering them with level-headedness is not right. The number of “red card” he has earned bears testimony to this.

Perhaps, he should also realize the game is not everything. He can draw an example from Rugby’s Tana Umaga, the All Blacks (New Zealand) vice captain, who during a match with Wales, saw teammate….

[Jerey Collins flattened Colin Charvis with a thunderous tackle.

New Zealand swiftly launched a counter-attack, but Umaga totally ignored the play and rushed to the poleaxed Charvis’s side to place the Welshman in the recovery position.

“It tells you the sort of bloke Tana is,” said Welsh captain Martyn Williams later. “He could have followed the ball to score but he wanted to get Colin’s gumshield out. It shows there are things in life that are bigger than just a game,”]
(From the New Sunday Times, 5 Otober,2003 at Pg.16)

Well, it is early yet in the season and I hope that Arsenal gives me and the other fans continuing opportunities to enjoy our weekends.

Pride and Prejudice

This morning I read about a Kurdish Brit being sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his 16 year-old daughter in the Star. Apparently she wanted to elope with her Lebanese Christian boy friend. Closer to home, the afternoon tabloid, the Malay Mail, carried a story of how the parents of a Segamat Chinese girl acted to break her relationship with her Chinese Muslim boyfriend. Only this time, instead of the knife, they resorted to divine help in the form of a temple medium.

We have heard of such cases before – troubled inter-faith or inter-race relations – and some with similar tragic endings (suicides and all). Is there no tolerance and understanding at all in this world?

The truth is some people just refuse to see the good there is in the Other. They let their Pride and Prejudice (to borrow the title of a Jane Austen classic) to cloud their thinking. Was it not pride, when the Kurd father testified at the Old Bailey that is was an “honor killing”? Was it not prejudice when the parents of the Segamat girl wished to cleanse her of the purported charm of her Muslim boyfriend?

Of course, there will be those whose pride and prejudice are not so deep rooted in their psychic. And their objection is mainly based on fear. Fear of what their relationship with their children would be like after they embraced another religion. Fear that they would have to make adjustments to their life style to accommodate things. And so many other related fears. I can appreciate their trepidations. All I can say to them its not that bad.

I have traveled the road before. In fact I wrote an article for a magazine last year (which never saw print because of funding problems) on the same matter. For what it is worth, here is the article –

A father’s Experience

Religion and culture – are they reconcilable? This was foremost on my mind when my daughter May married a Muslim and embraced Islam. Two grandchildren later, and with a second daughter (Jade) doing the same, I now believe that it is possible. Except for a few adjustments (gastronomy-wise mainly) to accommodate their new religious beliefs, my wife and I did not have to make any major change to our day-to-day living. Our blend of “Chinese and Western ways”, so to speak, could exist harmoniously with our daughters’ religious obligations.

I think what made it easy for me (and also my wife and son) to accept May and Jade’s conversion was the realization that they were only changing their Faith and nothing more. They remain culturally Chinese and most importantly our “flesh and blood”. Of course, with a change in religion, there were things they were obliged to do and things they were prohibited from doing. But then, these practices were more of a private nature and did not impinge on family relationships or ethnic descent.

The other good thing was that both daughters felt the same way and was therefore able to draw a clear line between their religious and cultural obligations. They stopped doing things that might conflict with Islamic teachings while continuing with the ones that were purely cultural with no religious or spiritual connotation. In turn, I had to be sensitive to their religious needs and accept the situation where they may have to decline to perform certain acts and things.

What about the extended family - meaning siblings, aunties and uncles? If there were any misgivings among them, they did not show it. Instead it was gratifying to see some of them present at the mosque for the Akad Nikah, the women folk complete with scarf and all. And a spontaneous reaction from our in-laws was their willingness to partake in the traditional “Tea Ceremony”, this time complete with “ang pows” or red packages, even though it was a Chinese cultural practice. Again the ability to distinguish between religion and cultural practices by all parties rule the situation.

So, against this background, the Bangsar Cheongs resume their family life. I continue to be “Dad” and my better half “Mom”. May remain “Tai Che” and Jade “Ee Che”, big sister and second sister respectively. To my Muslim grandchildren I am Kong Kong and my wife Po Po. They also call their aunty and uncle, Ee Ee (2nd Auntie) and Kau Fu Chye (Youngest Uncle) following the Chinese way of addressing relatives by seniority. A casual visitor to the house would be hard pressed to guess our respective Faiths going by the salutations. But then again, they would be equally perplexed when Sara and Adam “Salam” us instead of shaking our hands in greeting, and follow this with a “big hug”, Barney-style.

Come Christmas and Chinese New Year, the whole family will gather at home or occasionally take a trip somewhere to celebrate. Christmas, did I write that? Yes, to the family it is just a day of loving and giving, nothing more and nothing less. It’s the same approach we adopt for all the other celebrations (be it a Chinese festival or a “kenduri” we are invited to by our in-laws) – we see them as just occasions for renewing and enhancing family ties, avoiding all reference to their origins, religious or otherwise. When I think of it, continuing to celebrate the Chinese festivals, when half of my family is of the Islamic Faith, were the least of what problems I had to face following my daughters’ conversion.

If ever there was a problem with celebrations, it had to do with food. In our case, besides the quality and quantity, there was the need for the food to be “Halal” too. But the missus was up to it.
With her creativity and practicality, she managed to serve the dishes we were used to, albeit with substitute ingredients. So now its chicken “Pongtey” (Chinese stew) instead of pork stew or “Kai Chang” (dumplings) instead of “Bak Chang”, to name a few. One thing though, the sons-in-law have yet to appreciate the Cantonese-style soups mom insist on serving at every meal. Strangely, the grandchildren have taken to drinking them. As for eating out, it is a breeze, what with the proliferation of halal restaurants and other eateries in the Capital.

The above paragraphs serve to illustrate the minimal impact on my life of having two daughters embracing Islam. But I cannot say it would be the same for others in the same situation. It depends very much on one’s attitude to race and religion and philosophy of life. You have to be a “liberal” in these things and adopt the philosophy that “within the four corners of the world, all man are brothers”.