PETALING JAYA: The Kuala Lumpur Badminton Association (KLBA) have long been a breeding ground for world class players for the national team, yet they are still without a proper home of their own.
KLBA president Datuk Seri Dr Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos hopes the newly appointed Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud will be open to helping them regain what they believe has been denied to them for the past four years.
They are currently operating out of the Cheras Badminton Arena, but it only serves as the caretaker and does not hold permanent ownership of the venue.
Previously, the association were based at the Cheras Badminton Stadium, but the venue was demolished to make way for a new apartment development.
They received compensation from the developer while awaiting the construction of the Cheras Badminton Arena, but things did not turn out as they had hoped.
To ease discussions, the state association are now only seeking ownership of the first floor of the Cheras Badminton Arena, which houses the badminton hall and a large multipurpose hall.
They understand that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) may have plans to rent out the vacant office space on the other floors.
"We are only asking for this floor which is the first floor. We are not asking for the entire building even though that was what we were initially told. We are being practical because the building also contains office space including DBKL offices," said Jahaberdeen.
"We want this floor because it has the badminton hall and the large hall which we can turn into our office. As an institution, how are we supposed to generate income. With this space we can set up a sports shop, run training sessions and organise programmes that can help us raise funds. We have many programmes but we do not have a place."
KLBA have prepared an official letter and plans to submit it within the next two weeks to pay a courtesy visit and brief the new mayor on their long-pending application.
Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud was appointed Kuala Lumpur mayor on Friday, succeeding Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif, whose term was cut short by more than a year.
