It was at one time the most premier tournament in the country. A players career would not have been complete without playing in the Tin Razak Cup.
And this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Tun Razak Cup, which since the inception of the Malaysian Hockey League in 1987, has seen a steady slide in prestige.
One would have expected the Malaysian Hockey Confederation to pay more attention since it was after all the 50th edition and above all it was a trophy named after the father of the current Prime Minister.
So when it was decided that Kuantan play host to the event, hopes were raised that the revival of Razak Cup will take place, but that soon was seen as wishful thinking.
The dates were set for September 1-9 but were changed to December before moved to October. And it all boiled down to the whims and fancies but a state who dictated terms, stating that with Hari Raya on August 19, teams will not have enough time to train.
But with the dates now only four days after the end of MHL, that argument seems to have been forgotten.
Back to the organization though, the MHC are guilty of paying scant respect to it, preferring to focus on the FIH Congress that they will host at the beginning of October, a classics case of ignoring your own and feting the guests.
What have the MHC done to uplift the Razak Cup? Why have they not worked on getting it properly organized? Why have the opted the 50th edition to just go by without the pomp and fanfare normally accorded for such an anniversary?
These questions beg to be answered but trust me when I say they do not care as what's more important is winning votes and safeguarding their positions.
Perhaps Najib should now call a Royal Commission of Inquiry of the failure to give due respect to the Tun Razak Cup.
Wake up from your slumber MHC, if you cannot help hockey then please fade away gracefully as you have treated the Razak Cup with contempt.
