Mahaleel favourite to be elected BAM president

KUALA LUMPUR: The Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) will elect their new president in what is expected to be a low-key affair on Saturday.

Barring any turn of events and last minute lobbying, Kelantan BA president Tengku Tan Sri Mahaleel Tengku Ariff is expected to replace the outgoing president Datuk Seri Nadzmi Mohd Salleh to helm the national body.

The 66-year-old former Proton CEO (chief operating officer) has the important task of naming two key positions – a committed secretary and also a dedicated coaching and training committee chairman. 

The new leader may resort to sticking with Ng Chin Chai as the secretary, after all, the latter has done quite well to tighten up the administrative work at all levels in the last three years.

As for the coaching and training chairman, he has to find someone who is able to command respect from the coaches and players, must be knowledgable and has plenty of time to spare.

Those who qualify for the post are Kwan Yoke Meng, Cheah Soon Kit, Razif Sidek, Datuk James Selvaraj to mention a few and even the former squash administrator Wong Ah Jit seems to fit the bill. 

The chairman should also be given the authority to choose his team members, who are committed and able to work on full-time basis. And rather than meeting once every three months, they should be hands on.

It is also learnt that few council members like Kuala Lumpur BA’s president Datuk Mohd Norza Zakaria and Penang BA’s president Dr Koay Ban Hing are expected to be given prominent roles to play.