COMMENT | Farce at SEA Games can never be snuffed out

COMMENT | In a column last year, I wrote: “There was no National Film Development Corporation when L Krishnan produced a series of P Ramlee movies which are still revered. There was no Sports Ministry or National Sports Council when Mani Jegathesan and Karu Selvarartnam set the track ablaze with their stunning performances.

“Their records stood for over 25 years. Why is it that when the government gets involved, the standards always drop?”

Yet, Malaysian sports is at a crossroads - unable to move further than the occasional medal in selected tournaments despite millions being spent.

While we can subject coaches and competitors to their results as their key performance index, there is little to judge the many politicians and titled people who classify themselves as untouchable - occupying and warming their seats in sports bodies, year after year.

Many of them are not there for...