Looking at the mirror – and getting the right beat

MICHAEL Jackson, the King of Pop, churned out many top hits in the 1990s.

There were Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller, and Smooth Criminal – but my favourite is Man in the Mirror.

The song basically says that if one wants to change the world, it has to start with the person who is standing in front of the mirror.

Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh seems to be having a good look at the mirror.

She has declared that the ministry’s focus this year is to clean up the sport and it will start where it matters – the ministry itself.

For sure, Malaysian sports need a change. But what kind of change? Where do we change? Who do we change?

And the mother of all questions – how do we even do it?

We have done so much cleaning up in the past under every sports minister, yet we have a super sparkling cabinet (I mean the cupboard here) without a single Olympic Games gold medal!

In fact, only a meagre number of athletes have even qualified for this year’s edition in Paris – with the same sports like badminton and diving leading the way.

If we don’t get it right at foundational level, we will continue to go wrong all the way to the top and keep praying to hit the jackpot just by luck once in a while.

I’m glad Hannah is going back to the root problem. She spoke about poor management and lack of financial support.

She should know. She has been busy at the grassroots level since taking up the job in 2022 and managing 103 sports under the ministry.

Finding the right managers is hard as many have vested interests.

But there are many genuine sports lovers out there who are not getting the opportunity to lead. Some good ones choose to stay away as they are tired of the flawed system.

Hannah has to break the old system, flush out the deadwood and trigger a change in the sports policy. With time, she will figure it out, I guess.

And there is the touchy issue on money.

It’s a chicken-and-egg situation really. When rewards are given, many cry out that we are spoiling the athletes or the associations. When there is a lack of budget, we wonder how on earth they are going to make it.

The footballers at the Asian Cup in Doha are a case in point. They did not make the top 16 after losing the first two group matches but did the country proud by pulling off a 3-3 draw against world-class South Korea in their last game.

A day later, the government promised RM5mil to the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).

Many have since questioned the move. After all, FAM are one of the richest sports associations in the country. Many feel the reward was unnecessary and was a case of rewarding mediocrity – it was just one game drawn – but there were those who felt there was potential in the team and the money would help develop it.

Football, after all, is the country’s No 1 sport and is seen as a tool to unify the people.

Maybe, it was the timing that was wrong. Sports associations do need funding to raise their game. But do all sports need equal distribution? That’s a debate we have to keep for another day.

And how the taxpayers’ money is used should be closely monitored.

And is funding what it’s all about, really? There wasn’t much funding when Malaysian football was its zenith, back in the 70s and 80s. Those amateurs did far better than the professionals now.

And then, there’s the not-so-popular sport – hockey 5s. The national team went on to reach the final in the World Cup in Muscat, Oman.

These players also did it without receiving much funding. In fact, their coach Wallace Tan did not even get a salary.

The team showed true grit and determination to overcome the odds for a silver medal.

With the right attitude and intent, and with the right amount of funding managed in a proper way, sports in this nation can excel.

And it’s not only the duty of the ministry to sing the right tune.

Every one of us who wants sports to excel has to look hard at the mirror and ask this question – how can I make Malaysian sport a better place?

PS: The hockey 5s teams have now been promised RM3.9mil by Hannah. It was announced yesterday upon their return at the airport in the wee hours of the morning, subject to the Finance Ministry’s approval.