Massive task awaits Jefri as first NSC DG born after act was established

JEFRI Ngadirin, the 10th individual to helm the National Sports Council (NSC) as their director-general commencing April 4, represents a new breed of sports officials coming through the ranks within the agency.

In fact, Jefri is the first director-general born after the NSC Act was tabled by the then Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah and formulated in April 1971, with the royal assent decreed on April 27 and the Act coming into effect three days later.

Hamzah who was also chairman of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) at that time, tabled the Bill to form NSC as an official channel for the government to provide funds to OCM and the National Sport Associations (NSAs).

The Act was launched by the then Prime Minister-cum-OCM president, Tun Abdul Razak Hussein, on Feb 21, 1972, slightly under two months before Jefri was born.

Jefri, a father of three who hails from Kampung Bukit Bangkong, Sungai Pelek, Sepang, once a small aboriginal settlement, turns 53 on April 14.

Jefri needs little reminding that under the Act, the NSC are empowered to serve as the driving force to Malaysian sports.

As clearly stipulated under the Act, the NSC are to advise the Minister on matters pertaining to sports generally and to the proper and more effective implementation of the provisions of the NSC Act.

Over the decades, NSC have come under constant criticism and been accused of a lot of things – from getting involved in power play and being penny wise and pound foolish in terms of funding.

The main grouse among the NSAs, as the nation’s biggest high-performance stakeholders, was NSC’s bureaucratic policies and a funding process that is inconsistent.

OCM have openly been been pushing for reforms in terms of funding, by proposing a four-year cycle based on the Olympics as opposed to today’s practice of relying on the annual budget announced by the Government, disbursed to the NSAs through the NSC.

The idea is for NSC to help build capacity for the NSAs so that they would be able to employ qualified personnel with technical and management background.

Despite serving as the director general with the shortest stint, insiders said Abdul Rashid helped put in place a culture that enhanced the internal data system, budget control and procurement process.

Jefri is now being presented with the opportunity to create his own legacy as the 10th director-general, after Wan Ahmad Radzi Wan Abdul Rahman, Wilfred Vias, Datuk Mohd Noh Abdullah, Datuk Kamalul Ariffin, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad, Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong, Ahmad Shapawi and Abdul Rashid.

Some say NSC grew too big and were accused of being authoritarian and prone to making unilateral decisions.

Opinions on NSC continue to be split but Jefri will continue to carry the burden of having to deliver the medals and think strategically.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, and the NSC Board, opted for Jefri ahead of two of his seniors in service - former national hockey player Arrifin Abdul Ghani and Sports Commissioner, Suhardi Alias.

But having performed a variety of roles including Head of the Core Sports Unit, Director of the Back-Up Athletes Branch, and Director of the Athletes Division, before being promoted to Deputy Director-General (Sports Development) on Jan 8, 2024, Jefri is equipped with the experience to cope with the job.

He may wish to acknowledge that while NSC continue to grow stronger in terms of their workforce, the NSAs remain reliant on ageing volunteers. NSC too suffer from the perception that they are taking over the role of associations due to their financial muscle.

If Ahmad Shapawi preferred the micro-managing method in keeping the NSAs at bay, Jefri is given the chance to do things differently.

As it is, the Ministry’s empowerment method for NSAs that will see the government distribute funding for NSAs every four months (January to April, May to August, and September to December) is already a step towards the right direction.

Jefri is young enough to lead the NSC into two Olympic cycles, with his tenure scheduled to end just ahead of the Brisbane Games in 2032.

If the elusive gold medal for the Malaysian contingent comes even earlier at the Los Angeles Games in three years’ time, Jefri is guaranteed a place in the annals of Malaysian sports governance.