Monday, October 25, 2010

CHANGE, MHF MUST

If the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) were a business entity it would have been declared bankrupt and the officials unceremoniously sacked a long time ago.

But because this is Malaysia, where accountability is meaningless, failed officials continue to thrive under the patronage of the very people entrusted with the responsibilty of producing results.

Never mind that it is public funds being squandered. Never mind that the sport is being suffocated by all levels of incompetence and mismanagement. Never mind that this is tantamount to criminal abuse. 

Never mind that these officials have reduced once proud Malaysian hockey to destitution. After all, failure and ineptitude are well rewarded in this fair land.

Incompetence is as pernicious a disease as diabetes and just as easy to ignore until it is too late. The sweet-toothed MHF has been in decay for decades simply because the leadership preferred to appoint yesmen and sycophants ahead of competent, result-oriented men of character and thrift.

These flunkies have defiled and destroyed the very fabric of hockey in the country as they are driven only by self-interest and gorging on freebies. 

Like virulent parasites that feed on a bloated carcass, these men have had neither the inclination nor the desire or wherewithal to resuscitate and revitalise the sport.

Typical of all bootlickers they simply don't have a clue.

So who is to blame for the comatose state of Malaysian hockey? Is it these bunch of turkeys posing as officials or is the president to blame for his feckless leadership in allowing himself to be surrounded by such effete minions?

It is tragic that we have to hark back 35 years, to that 1975 World Cup in KL, for a nostalgic whiff of what could have been. Like Malaysian football, hockey has seen better days and has been languishing in the doldrums for about the same period of time.

There are many similarities symtomatic of the debilitating disease afflicting both sports. A once thriving industry which produced quality players is now a desolate landscape of drought and despair. 

The schools and local leagues are in shambles and the once premier Razak Cup tournament is a travesty of the tournament which once drew the attention of the entire nation.

So who do you blame for this clear dereliction of duty? The bunch of goons posing as officials or is the president to blame for turning a blind eye to the abuses?

But then the bane of Malaysian sport has always been the blame game, which if it were an Olympic event Malaysia would be prime contenders for gold. For far too long have incompetence and failure allowed to flourish unchallenged in this country. It is time for results and accountability.

It is incumbent upon the president to deliver the goods and he can only do this by getting the right team to do the job. 

Like it or now, as tax payers the public are shareholders in MHF and have the right to demand answers for non-performance and poor results. 

The president and his men are dutybound to make profitable returns by way of a viable national team and ensuring that the sport returns to a vibrant state of health.

This means being prepared to work with people who know what it takes to get the job done. Men and women who are prepared to go down to the boilers and toil and get dirty in the process if necessary. 

What MHF no longer needs is useless officials in stuffy suits who think only of their own comforts or the next junket.