KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh is looking forward to the proposed improvements from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) after the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki confirmed that the investigation into allegations of misconduct involving a senior official from BAM found no criminal elements.
He further explained that the investigation, which was prompted by a poison pen letter, is now considered closed.
However, the MACC found governance-related issues during the investigation, and a full report will be submitted to the Youth and Sports Ministry.
“I have read the MACC’s statement regarding the investigation into BAM, and I welcome the outcome of their findings. MACC will also be writing to the Youth and Sports Ministry regarding improvements to the procedures.
“The most important thing is the outcome of the investigation. I am happy to hear that there were no criminal elements involved, but the procedures do need improvement, and this is good for BAM because badminton is one of the key sports and heavily reliant on sponsors,” said Hannah.
As such, the ministry plans to implement a rating system for national sports associations this year.
“I see this as a positive step, not only for BAM but for all sports associations. Since last year, together with the Sports Commissioner, we have expressed our intention to implement a rating system for sports associations to ensure that governance and administrative procedures are well-structured, which will help attract more sponsors.
“For me, this is a positive development, and we will carry out this rating system this year. This way, when sponsors invest money, they can be confident that it will be used wisely for the development of sports,” she added.
In November, BAM found themselves under the scrutiny of the MACC following allegations that a senior official had been receiving allowances without the approval of the BAM council.