By TAY TIAN YAN
Sin Chew Daily 东运会 不只是凯里 而是我们 SEA Games: Not just Khairy's but ours too To be honest with you, I really sympathize with our youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin. While the 29th SEA Games opening ceremony was indeed smooth and exceptionally good, veritably one of the best opening shows in history, the focus of the public on the following day was nonetheless not the opening show but the misprinted Indonesian flag in the souvenir booklet. Of course, the mistake was made and could not be undone nor could we evade our responsibility. But, the controversy could have been avoided. If the Indonesian youth and sports minister Imam Nahrawi alerted his Malaysian counterpart in private immediately after discovering the mistake and demanded remedial action instead of flaring his temper on the social media, this whole thing would not have happened in the first place. As a matter of fact, the significance of SEA Games has been to promote greater unity, cooperation and mutual understanding among Asean states and not be exploited as a platform for political tussles. Moreover, anyone can tell that the mistake was not made in purpose. Having discovered the mistake, Khairy instantly texted an apology and made an appointment for a personal apology the following afternoon. In the end, the Indon minister made Khairy wait for quite some time at the hotel before he would show up. Luckily, Indonesian president Joko Widodo helped tame down the fire so that the tension would not escalate. The Games went on the next few days and Khairy himself took part in the polo event and won. Looking from a positive aspect, Khairy in the midst of his busy schedule still took time off for the polo training and represented the country in the Games, and this should serve as a role model for our athletes and all young Malaysians. Meanwhile, a subsequent post from the Johor Sultan triggered some fury among netizens who slammed Khairy for his flamboyant egoism. The minister responded by personally paying a visit to the Sultan in hope of averting unnecessary misunderstanding. Just as our athletes were making steady advances in their gold rush towards the ultimate goal of overall champion, some keyboard warriors hit out at the KL Games, calling it a complete disaster. They invariably targeted their wrath at Khairy. Khairy penned a reply explaining the preparation works for the Games. He even welcome his critics to go down to the stadia to see for themselves. Some others linked the SEA Games to politics, arguing that Khairy had a personal agenda as he wanted a boost from the Games to help him advance his political ambitions. As youth and sports minister, Khairy has been entrusted by the government to oversee the organizing of the KL Games, and indeed he has a duty to see that things are in order. Of course, he should be given credit for a job well done, but if something goes wrong, he should be held accountable and his political future could be at stake, too. SEA Games belongs to all countries in Southeast Asia and its principal objective is to promote further cooperation and understanding while manifesting neighborliness among regional countries. As the hosts, each and every one of us has something to do with this Games. If it is not done well, it won't just be a matter of Khairy alone. He needs the encouragement, support and participation of the whole nation, not demoralizing remarks, sarcastic criticisms and constant fault-finding. I attended the opening ceremony and watched a number of matches. I saw how our athletes put up their very best to fight for the country's glory. I saw how the workers toiled under mounting pressure to ensure every detail was well taken care of. I also saw how the volunteers at various venues led the spectators into the stadia under the merciless sun, and picked up the trash on the floor after each match. As for the journalists, they have been following closely each and every match to deliver the most exciting news stories to their audiences. All these people have been fully devoted to doing something for the nation and people, and help make the KL Games the best ever. Sure enough there are inadequacies, but like all the athletes, no one can ensure 100% perfection for any major sporting event. Most importantly, it belongs to us all. Before we start cursing, perhaps we should first ask ourselves whether we have contributed anything to it.
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发表于 2-9-2017 10:56 PM
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