Friends ,
Not many people know Syed Abdul Kadir Alsagoff .He is not the 'monied' kind of people nor does he has power .He is just ordinary ,just like you and me but it is my intention in my blog's 'personalities section' to delve into interesting personalities like 'Syed Kadiak' ,as he has been known among us classmates from the Malay College ,and others whom Allah has allowed me the priveledge to 'criss cross' into their lives in this short 'sojourn' of mine on this planet earth .I have never met Dr Mohd Asri Zainal Abidin ,the 1st personalty featured in this new column but who does not know Dr Asri .With 10,or 15 more years of 'scholarship' perhaps he can be our next Naguib ! Insyaallah .That would be profoundly better than being just another mufti whose main function is to read the doa at those tedious State functions .
Back to our Syed Kadir .I 1st met him when I joined the Malay College in 1967 as a forth former .A 'budak baru' with all the intricacies of 'ragging' and yearlong internal battle trying to blend in with the 'budak lama' ie those who joined through Form One .Syed Kadir was a 'budak lama' .Looking back ,many of the 'budak baru' were less daunted by the continuos emotional effort needed to blend-in and be accepted with the rest [ no mean task ] and the cultural shock of leaving home and having to live with peers of the same age who were in general already miles ahead in their 'social skills',but rather the shock of having to contend with many super 'bright' boys several scale above the average .That was Malay College to the new comers .Syed Kadir was one of the many 'super bright boys' of Form Four Science 2.
He never seem to put any effort in study and during the limited 'prep time ' was always fooling around but at the end of term exams was either numero uno or just somewhere there .I could remember one of the 'budak baru' [ a doctor now ] cried because he had to burn the midnight candle and still came out last in class while this 'clown' Syed Kadiak never seem to touch his books and yet got 1st !
Come MCE exam ,Syed got the maximum 8 distinctions !Now some students who got 10 straight A's still cry because some jokers got 15 .During my time if you get 4 A's you deserve to paint the town red on your bicycle with ears'enlarged' and a fixed smile on your face for a whole week .The town can accept that you deserve it .
Syed hitched hiked to Kuala Lumpur to see Encik Khir Johari ,the then Minister of Education ,and on his own initiative ,got Lee Foundation along with Tengku Abdul Rahman Foundation to give him a scholarship to do Quantum Physics at an Ivy league university in US ,Cornell .At a kingly sum of 10'000 RM per year scholarship, a huge sum at that time .
All of us that time knew some 15 months prior to exam time Syed suddenly woke up probably from the 'wrong side of his bed' and declared to all and sundry that he from then on was an 'atheist' .A case of too much physics probably ,we thought .No amount of 'cajoling'or debate from friends could make this young man change his mind .Some of us enlisted the help of the late Ustaz Rahman [ just died a couple of years ago ] ,our mentor and student advisor .He tried but failed miserably and shed a lot of tears for his failure .But looking back with hind sight now what can a 'lowly' ustaz do to a genius with an IQ of probably 150 except to further increase the boy's resolve to be more 'different ' .
So Syed Kadir The Atheist went to Cornell to do Quantum Physics in 1970 ,at the height of 'Flower Power' and anti war hysteria following the Vietnam War .Most of us ,his friends , thought he would not come back and be lost to Godless America forever ,work with NASA or something .But Allah knew better .In America he befriended an American lay Islamic preacher and rejoined Islam .Not only just rejoined Islam but took 4 years off his study to wander to Medina ,Saudi Arabia to learn Arabic and obtained a masters degree in Arabic and theology .In his own words "When you study the Quran and understand it in Arabic it is like watching coloured TV ,while in other languages you can still perceive its meaning but it is akin to seeing blake and white" .
Went back to Cornell to do 4 years of Neurobiology to ,in his own words ,"comprehend" and put up a creditable defense against Darwin's Theory of Evolution .
His very short but succinct explanation of the compatibility of Darwin's Evolution Theory and Islam was explained to me just 4 days ago ,over noisy kenduri kahwin music , at our mutual classmate's daughter's wedding in Klang ,the 1st time I got to meet him after almost 40 years !
"Look at it this way ,Nik .Say we are so advanced that we are able to send 2 astronauts ,a female and a male , to a distant planet so far away from Earth .That new planet is like Earth ,and has been actually in existence for millions of years before this two humans landed .There were apes ,lizards and other animals that have evolved earlier .Push forward into the future say over 10,000 years ,the 2 astronauts cohabited and over years and generations multiplide in numbers to become 1 billion humans .One not so bright chap amongst them finally decided to be famous and decided to study fossils and came up with the theory that 'man' actually came from apes because he was able to see some semblance of apes fossils that did not have tails .This bright chap did not want to know about the story of the 'astronauts' anymore but fell in love with his findings .He called it the Darwin's theory of Evolution !"
"The relevant observation now ,from amongst us ,should be that now there are humans who have developed 'new tails' and they are the ones doing massive carnage in far distant lands like Iraq ,Afganistan and in the Gaza Strip !They are the new 'apes' that have strayed from the 'straight' path as defined by that 'Chap' who 1st send the Eve and Adam down to this planet to be the viceroy .Not a question of the apes losing their tails and becoming humans as expounded by Darwin but Man losing their way and behaving like apes !"...'Mereka mereka yang di murkai Allah dan mereka mereka yang sesat ', as I always like to put it
Syed Kadir came back to Malaysia and join UPM's fisheries dept in the 80's and was actively invovled in missionary and tabligh work .Masahallah ,from Islam to atheist to tabligh !
While writing up for his doctoral thesis he found he could ill afford to pay a professional typist to help with the typing as most of his income was tied up with his missionary work ,so he dabbled with the computer .Before long he found himself deep in IT and did finally obtained a PHD from Auburn University ,Alabama delving in computer modelling of integrated agriculture system .
That was and is Dr Syed Kadir AlSagoff , my long lost friend .A scientist par excellence ,a former confirmed atheist ,a genius ,a Muslim missionary of the tabligh school .
At the end of the day it is Allah who "membolak balikkan hati".We
'manusia manusia yang kerdil' can only do our level best and pray for his deliverance .If Allah wants to change John Esposito [the great Western expert on Islam] He could do so but if He does not ,John Esposito will still be 'that guy who has grown a tail' in another 100 years despite all his vast knowledge about Islam ,beyond you and me .
"Say :Oh Allah ! Possessor of the Kingdom ,
You give the Kingdom to whom You will ,and ,
You bestow with honour whom You will ,and ,
You humiliate whom You will .
In Your hand is the good .
Verily ,You are Able to do All things ."
A piece of poignant poetry you may say .Surah Ali Imraan 2 : 26 ,from the Glorious Quran .
Dr Nik Howk
PS :On the local scene ,how else can one explain Sultan Mukriz's ascension back to power yesterday despite all the odds working against him ?
Hanya Dia yang dapat 'membolak balikkan hati'.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Pearls & Gem : Dr Asri Zainal Abidin
Friends ,
In a year when we have the 'Altantuya affair' ,SCOMI ,Eurocopter debacle and the 'Scorpene affair' all thrown into the public domain it is perhaps poignant that Dr Asri's recent resignation or rather to put it more correctly refusal to continue his tenure as Grand Mufti of Perlis in preference to leading a quiet academic life in Lampeter ,U.K , not to be viewed as an insignificant, quite unrelated event .
We all have to salute this man for his frankness and intellectual honesty and refusal to accept and stomach the rot in a society that is increasingly getting too materialistic ,uncontrolled greed and avarice from within the upper echelon of power .Indeed ,intellectual honesty and frankness are two qualities that are very hard to come by nowadays in this Land of Serba Boleh ,especially within the professionals ,academia and even within the learned circles ,even amongst the so-called ulamak .
I reserve this space today for Dr Asri Zainal Abidin for his candour :
" AKU BUKAN MUSUH HARTA "
mereka kata :
mengapa kita tidak kaya raya ?
tengoklah Si Fulan itu ,bermewahan saja
aku bertanya :apalah caranya untuk aku kaya ?
tapi...secara mulia dan tanpa berdusta .
bukan kita tidak tahu
jalan ,denai dan liku
agar harta ditemu dan disapu
tapi semuanya cara palsu dan tipu
bukan kita tidak mahu
tapi kita tidak mampu
takut dan terkedu
mengenang Yang Maha Satu
Yang Tiada Baginya sekutu
Ya ,telah kaya para pengkhianat
dengan harta yang sarat
tapi mereka lupa akhirat
balasan yang berat
di dunia ,jiwa bertukar menjadi keparat .
Ya ,telah kaya para pendusta
syarat mereka :lupakan Yang Esa
harta raayat semua disebat
harta awam semua dibekam
hukum syaitan ,mereka bertuhan .
Kita pun ingin kaya
ada harta ,ada kereta istimewa
ada rumah mewah yang melimpah
ada hidangan yang bukan sebarangan
ada duit yang bukan sedikit .
Tapi jalannya hendaklah suci
bukan seperti saorang pencuri
jika ada jalan yang mulia
di hujungnya ada harta
Kita cuma musuh pengkhianat bangsa dan negara
apatah lagi pengkhianat agama .....
Syabas Dr Asri Zainal Abidin .We need such candour and frankness from our academia ,intellectuals and everyone .Only then will our politicians ,policy makers and those in power exercise more care and accountability when they deal with public fund.Accountability starts from the top and percolate downward .It does not start with the poor meter reader or the poorly paid policeman and hope to move upward .It starts with the PM and his cabinet ,down to the KSN and KSU's and move downward ,right down to the humble road sweepers .[ have you ever met a London porter or train drivers ?They appear happy and proud of their work .Ken Livingston who was a Labour Party London Mayor at one time ,did not drive to work .Stayed in a bedsit even when he was Mayor .Red Ken they called him .All of them are not Muslim but as a rule most Londoners from mayor to just the humble train porter have a high sense of human values and rule of law .Dr Asri will find that out if he stays there a while longer .Doc M may have difficulty comprehending this aspect of London life . ]
Ist and foremost there must be a real,not imagined or feigned ,political will to fight against corruption , nepotism and this unchecked ,unaccounted porosity of public fund,and this has to start right from Sri Perdana Putrajaya ,right through the Ministries .The small crabs just look at the big ones how to walk .If the big ones walk sideway ,they is no way to expect the small ones to walk straight .So goes a well known Malay proverb .
We claim to embrace Islamic values in our everyday affairs but our public facilities remained underfunded ,our public roads excessively overpaid but third rate ,our defense facilities archaic though we have to pay through our nose ,our public hospitals under-budgeted ,our education system 3rd rate and directionless ,our top politicians and their families and cronies'overfed',etc etc and etc .
Then we have the IJN deal or nearly 'done deal' if not for the very public uproar .Now there is this rumours going around the grapevine that they are going to replace Hassan from Petronas with some clowns from god knows where who know a bit of 'creative accounting' here and 'financial manipulation' there .Petronas is a high tech high finance and well driven company well managed for the last 2 decades or so ,why change a winning formullae ?It is not an ordinary 'cari makan' construction firm where any Ahmad ,Ali or Mohideen a/l Mohd can lord over as chairman and churn or siphon the money out without specialised indepth knowledge and wisdom of the global oil business .Hassan ,at least for the next few years is irreplaceable and I am not saying this because he happened to be my form-mate at the Malay College !
We ,the 'raayats' do not want any third rate politician to have a run at our grandchildren's last legacy through any third rate nominee .As it is now we spent 1st rate 'money' but living like a 3rd rate nation.
We just have too many 'fat cats' waiting for 'free meals' at every level of government !" Pendusta and pengkhianat negara dan agama " as Dr Asri alluded to .
Our leaders have to buck up otherwise please give your place to someone else who are more qualified and more God fearing !Pleaseeeeeee !
50 years of nonsense is enough .If the government of the day does not want to change the governed must change !
Dr Nik Howk
In a year when we have the 'Altantuya affair' ,SCOMI ,Eurocopter debacle and the 'Scorpene affair' all thrown into the public domain it is perhaps poignant that Dr Asri's recent resignation or rather to put it more correctly refusal to continue his tenure as Grand Mufti of Perlis in preference to leading a quiet academic life in Lampeter ,U.K , not to be viewed as an insignificant, quite unrelated event .
We all have to salute this man for his frankness and intellectual honesty and refusal to accept and stomach the rot in a society that is increasingly getting too materialistic ,uncontrolled greed and avarice from within the upper echelon of power .Indeed ,intellectual honesty and frankness are two qualities that are very hard to come by nowadays in this Land of Serba Boleh ,especially within the professionals ,academia and even within the learned circles ,even amongst the so-called ulamak .
I reserve this space today for Dr Asri Zainal Abidin for his candour :
" AKU BUKAN MUSUH HARTA "
mereka kata :
mengapa kita tidak kaya raya ?
tengoklah Si Fulan itu ,bermewahan saja
aku bertanya :apalah caranya untuk aku kaya ?
tapi...secara mulia dan tanpa berdusta .
bukan kita tidak tahu
jalan ,denai dan liku
agar harta ditemu dan disapu
tapi semuanya cara palsu dan tipu
bukan kita tidak mahu
tapi kita tidak mampu
takut dan terkedu
mengenang Yang Maha Satu
Yang Tiada Baginya sekutu
Ya ,telah kaya para pengkhianat
dengan harta yang sarat
tapi mereka lupa akhirat
balasan yang berat
di dunia ,jiwa bertukar menjadi keparat .
Ya ,telah kaya para pendusta
syarat mereka :lupakan Yang Esa
harta raayat semua disebat
harta awam semua dibekam
hukum syaitan ,mereka bertuhan .
Kita pun ingin kaya
ada harta ,ada kereta istimewa
ada rumah mewah yang melimpah
ada hidangan yang bukan sebarangan
ada duit yang bukan sedikit .
Tapi jalannya hendaklah suci
bukan seperti saorang pencuri
jika ada jalan yang mulia
di hujungnya ada harta
Kita cuma musuh pengkhianat bangsa dan negara
apatah lagi pengkhianat agama .....
Syabas Dr Asri Zainal Abidin .We need such candour and frankness from our academia ,intellectuals and everyone .Only then will our politicians ,policy makers and those in power exercise more care and accountability when they deal with public fund.Accountability starts from the top and percolate downward .It does not start with the poor meter reader or the poorly paid policeman and hope to move upward .It starts with the PM and his cabinet ,down to the KSN and KSU's and move downward ,right down to the humble road sweepers .[ have you ever met a London porter or train drivers ?They appear happy and proud of their work .Ken Livingston who was a Labour Party London Mayor at one time ,did not drive to work .Stayed in a bedsit even when he was Mayor .Red Ken they called him .All of them are not Muslim but as a rule most Londoners from mayor to just the humble train porter have a high sense of human values and rule of law .Dr Asri will find that out if he stays there a while longer .Doc M may have difficulty comprehending this aspect of London life . ]
Ist and foremost there must be a real,not imagined or feigned ,political will to fight against corruption , nepotism and this unchecked ,unaccounted porosity of public fund,and this has to start right from Sri Perdana Putrajaya ,right through the Ministries .The small crabs just look at the big ones how to walk .If the big ones walk sideway ,they is no way to expect the small ones to walk straight .So goes a well known Malay proverb .
We claim to embrace Islamic values in our everyday affairs but our public facilities remained underfunded ,our public roads excessively overpaid but third rate ,our defense facilities archaic though we have to pay through our nose ,our public hospitals under-budgeted ,our education system 3rd rate and directionless ,our top politicians and their families and cronies'overfed',etc etc and etc .
Then we have the IJN deal or nearly 'done deal' if not for the very public uproar .Now there is this rumours going around the grapevine that they are going to replace Hassan from Petronas with some clowns from god knows where who know a bit of 'creative accounting' here and 'financial manipulation' there .Petronas is a high tech high finance and well driven company well managed for the last 2 decades or so ,why change a winning formullae ?It is not an ordinary 'cari makan' construction firm where any Ahmad ,Ali or Mohideen a/l Mohd can lord over as chairman and churn or siphon the money out without specialised indepth knowledge and wisdom of the global oil business .Hassan ,at least for the next few years is irreplaceable and I am not saying this because he happened to be my form-mate at the Malay College !
We ,the 'raayats' do not want any third rate politician to have a run at our grandchildren's last legacy through any third rate nominee .As it is now we spent 1st rate 'money' but living like a 3rd rate nation.
We just have too many 'fat cats' waiting for 'free meals' at every level of government !" Pendusta and pengkhianat negara dan agama " as Dr Asri alluded to .
Our leaders have to buck up otherwise please give your place to someone else who are more qualified and more God fearing !Pleaseeeeeee !
50 years of nonsense is enough .If the government of the day does not want to change the governed must change !
Dr Nik Howk
Monday, December 15, 2008
Post WEC :Where Do We Go From Here .
Fellow 'Endurancers' ,
Post World Endurance Championship ,Lembah Bidong Terengganu .Where do we go from here ?A million dollar question .
Let us not discuss how much WEC costs us .That is beyond mere mortals like you and me and anyway it was a monumental success from the viewpoint of Malaysians as perfect host.We always are .
From the perspective of actual performance of Team Malaysia ,OK friends ,I have promised I am not going to go over it again ,lest I will qualify myself for the firing squad .OK ,so ,where do we go from here ?
First and foremost ,let us look at Bahrain and Qatar .Forget about UAE ,since UAE is a million miles ahead ,not from just us but from the rest of the world .Some blokes in the USA are even thinking of opting out of FEI Endurance because even USA , a former superpower in Endurance a decade ago has now been reduced to the dustbin of history .
What about Bahrain and Qatar ?They were just in the 'kindergarten' just like us when Dato Awang ,myself and a few others were at it in Europe some 8 years back ,now they are 2nd and 3rd in the WEC Team Championship .Where have we gone wrong ?It is not due to lack of funding [c'mon we have overspent millions on team preparation !].Poor planning ?Lack of confidence in ourselves ?Not our sport ?[ then may I suggest we go back to sepak takraw ]
I think it is a combination of all of the above plus a couple more [ cari makan factor etc etc ], but from now on let us use more of our 'grey mater' .It may help . It is quite painful at least for me to see all those millions wasted while we are seeing our sport developing in the way we would not like to be ie .....ism that would kill the initial competitive route that it was naturally taking prior to the WEC preparation frenzy .Govt funding and help ? Yes ,yes and yes but we have to thread a careful line here in case we become overdependent .We want individuals to still dream of buying and owning their own mounts and bringing them up to a level able to give the 'big boys' a run for their money .We want people who pride themselves in beating the odd on their way to the podium and say for example "RTES or Al Raudhah can go and fly kites ,I can still beat you despite your superior every thing " !That is healthy development .
This is how I look at the future post WEC if we are to progress and develop the breadth and depth of our sport in a healthy and holistic manner and in the most economical and realistic way :
1.Chief de Quippe.
We should certainly look beyond efficient 'water carriers' and 'transport' managers .Also beyond EAM Endurance Chairman who has to play to the gallery for popular votes and so called 'palace'rating.An effective CDQ must be someone who knows 'endurance ' like the back of his knuckles ,may be a vet ,may be a rider or better still an ex rider ,who most importantly must be willing to be unpopular ,especially with the riders whom he chooses ! .Unsalaried of course .Not necessarily in the EAM but may be co-opted member ,answerable to the EAM President but not neccesarily 'kowtaying' to him .He must 1st and foremost be independent in mind and spirit .He plan ,set up the selection criteria and sit with a committee for selection and preside that committee .Hire and fire .In short a supremo .Some of you may think Ia m describing a 'devil' .Well in Malaysia ,to get us somewhere you have to be a little 'devil' .The Kelantanese has got a better name for such individuals .Give him a tenure of 3 years ie beyond EAM but such 'devil' will sack himself if he think he is not up to the mark .Find that 'devil' .Of course he has to operate with one or two assistants and some nominal budget from EAM or whatever .
If people think the CDQ has to be from EAM then by all mean let the Endurance Chairperson be the CDQ .A supremo CDQ who does not bow to pressure from within and without .Still a little'devil' .
2.International Competitions
This is free country .People can compete where they like and their results and experience will be taken into overall consideration by the CDQ but from the National interest of carrying our 'Jalur Gemilang' there are only several that it is imperative we have to be there .Off the cuff I can only think of 3 :The annual Open European Championship ,WEC/WEG and since we are already in the club ,The President's Cup in Dubai .Sending a team of riders or one pallet ,to carry our Jalur Gemilang to these event is 'small money' compared to the amount we have spent in our team preparation for WEC .We have to learn to do things economically ,cut off the frills and the 'makans and the unnecessary "kompangs etc etc ".EAM or ISN should be looking at funding ,leave the CDQ to do his job .Branding and finance is not his job ,it is EAM and ISN .If any EAM President is not aware of this he should not be there .The CDQ's brief is to move around ,know the horses and the riders and have a 'movable' but fair premise for selection of the Malaysian team for any international event .No hiding behind 'monolithic' committees who at the end of the day bear no responsibility for total failure .A typical Malaysian scenario .
3.Local Competitions
I look at the Sultan's Cup as already a '3 star' brand.It would be a pity to just go back to the original format .Go on a higher 'plane' at less cost .Bring it to the level of The President's Cup of Dubai but at lesser cost by decreasing the 'volume'.Achieve 4 star or 5 star status by increasing the prize money ,decrease the distance to 120 km or maintain the same ie 160 km ,invite only continental champions to challenge local riders say one pallet each from USA ,South America , one from Europe and one from Australia and New Zealand .
UAE ,Bahrain and Qatar can fly in on their own as many riders they like .If we have the right 'jalan' with the 'Pak Sheikhs' ,even the Sultan's Cup they can sponsor .They have been doing this with all other big rides around the world .Just the right 'jalan' .
These visitors to bring their best horses and best riders .We learn from them .And dont forget ,Branding .Teranggannu has all the potential of being a major tourist destination .We are better than that cheap skate sex destination in Phuket .If properly branded ,may even be better than Bali .
The rest of competitions concentrate on more 80's and 120's ,just maximum only 2 160's .We already have the toughest ride in the world [AL Raudhah] ,the best 120 in the World ,Gunong ,Kota Bharu and a few others to play around .Revamp the rides rulings by EAM to make the rides more inclusive rather than exclusive .Some vets at present are making new people to shy away from endurance by their stiff interpetation of the rules and making more rules .The new EAM rules on endurance are in my opinion convoluted and difficult to implement .So convoluted that if we let some vets to totally dictate the rules of our sport ,there will be no riders to take part in any class .Some of them are 'control freaks' .There must be balance .We endurancers are still small in numbers ,let us be more practical .
Look into establishing another class of ride ie for the 'local ponies' of certain height .Again be inclusive .We want endurance to also be a 'sukan raayat' .
4.Clubs
Over the past few years we have grown in number which is very good .The big ones like Al Raudhah ,RTES and TMKN Stable lead the way by virtue of unlimited funding etc etc but in laissez faire economy this is healthy .Small clubs ,State funded clubs and individuals [ like me ] are encouraged to steal some thunder from the big boys .What is worrying to many of us is the unimpeded flow of public funding to a selected few of the present 'big boys'in the past which is not healthy at all to the sport .They do not need help to procure horses etc etc .This create a new form of ..ism which would negate progressive competitiveness of others .The initial edge obtain is small compared to the overall negative effect to the sport .People who hold the purse string on public fund should be aware of this unhealthy trend .it would kill the sport .Leave it alone .Channel your fund to a central body like EAM to manage for competition purposes rather than procurement of horses etc etc for the selected few .
In my estimation ,endurance can go a long way in the route towards 'Sukan Untuk Negara' .We just need to put our 'grey mater' more into it rather than just follow our 'basic cari makan'instinct .At the International Level we need not bring in the medals ,being there is enough .Post WEC ,we have to keep working harder and reconfigure our "Brand Malaysia" .
"SUKAN UNTUK NEGARA" .
Post World Endurance Championship ,Lembah Bidong Terengganu .Where do we go from here ?A million dollar question .
Let us not discuss how much WEC costs us .That is beyond mere mortals like you and me and anyway it was a monumental success from the viewpoint of Malaysians as perfect host.We always are .
From the perspective of actual performance of Team Malaysia ,OK friends ,I have promised I am not going to go over it again ,lest I will qualify myself for the firing squad .OK ,so ,where do we go from here ?
First and foremost ,let us look at Bahrain and Qatar .Forget about UAE ,since UAE is a million miles ahead ,not from just us but from the rest of the world .Some blokes in the USA are even thinking of opting out of FEI Endurance because even USA , a former superpower in Endurance a decade ago has now been reduced to the dustbin of history .
What about Bahrain and Qatar ?They were just in the 'kindergarten' just like us when Dato Awang ,myself and a few others were at it in Europe some 8 years back ,now they are 2nd and 3rd in the WEC Team Championship .Where have we gone wrong ?It is not due to lack of funding [c'mon we have overspent millions on team preparation !].Poor planning ?Lack of confidence in ourselves ?Not our sport ?[ then may I suggest we go back to sepak takraw ]
I think it is a combination of all of the above plus a couple more [ cari makan factor etc etc ], but from now on let us use more of our 'grey mater' .It may help . It is quite painful at least for me to see all those millions wasted while we are seeing our sport developing in the way we would not like to be ie .....ism that would kill the initial competitive route that it was naturally taking prior to the WEC preparation frenzy .Govt funding and help ? Yes ,yes and yes but we have to thread a careful line here in case we become overdependent .We want individuals to still dream of buying and owning their own mounts and bringing them up to a level able to give the 'big boys' a run for their money .We want people who pride themselves in beating the odd on their way to the podium and say for example "RTES or Al Raudhah can go and fly kites ,I can still beat you despite your superior every thing " !That is healthy development .
This is how I look at the future post WEC if we are to progress and develop the breadth and depth of our sport in a healthy and holistic manner and in the most economical and realistic way :
1.Chief de Quippe.
We should certainly look beyond efficient 'water carriers' and 'transport' managers .Also beyond EAM Endurance Chairman who has to play to the gallery for popular votes and so called 'palace'rating.An effective CDQ must be someone who knows 'endurance ' like the back of his knuckles ,may be a vet ,may be a rider or better still an ex rider ,who most importantly must be willing to be unpopular ,especially with the riders whom he chooses ! .Unsalaried of course .Not necessarily in the EAM but may be co-opted member ,answerable to the EAM President but not neccesarily 'kowtaying' to him .He must 1st and foremost be independent in mind and spirit .He plan ,set up the selection criteria and sit with a committee for selection and preside that committee .Hire and fire .In short a supremo .Some of you may think Ia m describing a 'devil' .Well in Malaysia ,to get us somewhere you have to be a little 'devil' .The Kelantanese has got a better name for such individuals .Give him a tenure of 3 years ie beyond EAM but such 'devil' will sack himself if he think he is not up to the mark .Find that 'devil' .Of course he has to operate with one or two assistants and some nominal budget from EAM or whatever .
If people think the CDQ has to be from EAM then by all mean let the Endurance Chairperson be the CDQ .A supremo CDQ who does not bow to pressure from within and without .Still a little'devil' .
2.International Competitions
This is free country .People can compete where they like and their results and experience will be taken into overall consideration by the CDQ but from the National interest of carrying our 'Jalur Gemilang' there are only several that it is imperative we have to be there .Off the cuff I can only think of 3 :The annual Open European Championship ,WEC/WEG and since we are already in the club ,The President's Cup in Dubai .Sending a team of riders or one pallet ,to carry our Jalur Gemilang to these event is 'small money' compared to the amount we have spent in our team preparation for WEC .We have to learn to do things economically ,cut off the frills and the 'makans and the unnecessary "kompangs etc etc ".EAM or ISN should be looking at funding ,leave the CDQ to do his job .Branding and finance is not his job ,it is EAM and ISN .If any EAM President is not aware of this he should not be there .The CDQ's brief is to move around ,know the horses and the riders and have a 'movable' but fair premise for selection of the Malaysian team for any international event .No hiding behind 'monolithic' committees who at the end of the day bear no responsibility for total failure .A typical Malaysian scenario .
3.Local Competitions
I look at the Sultan's Cup as already a '3 star' brand.It would be a pity to just go back to the original format .Go on a higher 'plane' at less cost .Bring it to the level of The President's Cup of Dubai but at lesser cost by decreasing the 'volume'.Achieve 4 star or 5 star status by increasing the prize money ,decrease the distance to 120 km or maintain the same ie 160 km ,invite only continental champions to challenge local riders say one pallet each from USA ,South America , one from Europe and one from Australia and New Zealand .
UAE ,Bahrain and Qatar can fly in on their own as many riders they like .If we have the right 'jalan' with the 'Pak Sheikhs' ,even the Sultan's Cup they can sponsor .They have been doing this with all other big rides around the world .Just the right 'jalan' .
These visitors to bring their best horses and best riders .We learn from them .And dont forget ,Branding .Teranggannu has all the potential of being a major tourist destination .We are better than that cheap skate sex destination in Phuket .If properly branded ,may even be better than Bali .
The rest of competitions concentrate on more 80's and 120's ,just maximum only 2 160's .We already have the toughest ride in the world [AL Raudhah] ,the best 120 in the World ,Gunong ,Kota Bharu and a few others to play around .Revamp the rides rulings by EAM to make the rides more inclusive rather than exclusive .Some vets at present are making new people to shy away from endurance by their stiff interpetation of the rules and making more rules .The new EAM rules on endurance are in my opinion convoluted and difficult to implement .So convoluted that if we let some vets to totally dictate the rules of our sport ,there will be no riders to take part in any class .Some of them are 'control freaks' .There must be balance .We endurancers are still small in numbers ,let us be more practical .
Look into establishing another class of ride ie for the 'local ponies' of certain height .Again be inclusive .We want endurance to also be a 'sukan raayat' .
4.Clubs
Over the past few years we have grown in number which is very good .The big ones like Al Raudhah ,RTES and TMKN Stable lead the way by virtue of unlimited funding etc etc but in laissez faire economy this is healthy .Small clubs ,State funded clubs and individuals [ like me ] are encouraged to steal some thunder from the big boys .What is worrying to many of us is the unimpeded flow of public funding to a selected few of the present 'big boys'in the past which is not healthy at all to the sport .They do not need help to procure horses etc etc .This create a new form of ..ism which would negate progressive competitiveness of others .The initial edge obtain is small compared to the overall negative effect to the sport .People who hold the purse string on public fund should be aware of this unhealthy trend .it would kill the sport .Leave it alone .Channel your fund to a central body like EAM to manage for competition purposes rather than procurement of horses etc etc for the selected few .
In my estimation ,endurance can go a long way in the route towards 'Sukan Untuk Negara' .We just need to put our 'grey mater' more into it rather than just follow our 'basic cari makan'instinct .At the International Level we need not bring in the medals ,being there is enough .Post WEC ,we have to keep working harder and reconfigure our "Brand Malaysia" .
"SUKAN UNTUK NEGARA" .
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Not So Pearl & Gem :Vernacular Schools
Friends ,
We have several 'sacred cows' in Malaysia .Ketuanan Melayu being one of the 'cows',which is a very nebulous concept when the Melayus inhabit more than 90 % of all low cost housing in the country and own less than 15 % of the country's wealth [...and can someone tell why the NEP limits it's target to only 30 % and not 55 % ?].
The other 'sacred cow' is Vernacular Schools .[ see my October 29th blog :Our Education System has failed !].
When Mukriz Mahathir brought up the issue of vernacular schools being a hindrance to the concept of unity in Malaysia we can hear all sort of discordant , muted and irrational rebuttals from Gerakan ,MCA and DAP and also our new resident clown ,Samy Vellooo [ when is this botak going to retire ?].I am more interested to hear what our Mr Viagra Chua Soi Lek has to say ,especially after his recent burst on 'Ketuanan Melayu .The Melayus ,Mr Viagra Sir ,would rather own 70 % of the Nation's wealth than being a Tuan .Nothing is sacred ,not even the Malay Sultanate ,[ especially if they do not behave themselves as expected of Rulers ] for the Melayus if we have to beg for pittance in our very own Tanah Air .
I am reminded of Tan Sri Musa Hitam's advice many years back when he was much younger and more vibrant :" We Malays sometime has to be kurang ajar a bit only then others will respect us ".In 2008 ,it means let us insist on getting back to the 'master bedroom' ,not remaining on the verannda of our very own house.
And not having to apologise about it .It is sickening and bone chilling to see Pak Lah and our future PM designate did so several months ago .You cannot call a spade by any other name !A spade is a spade [ see Sept 26th blog :Lest We Forget....] ] .
Dr Nik Howk
We have several 'sacred cows' in Malaysia .Ketuanan Melayu being one of the 'cows',which is a very nebulous concept when the Melayus inhabit more than 90 % of all low cost housing in the country and own less than 15 % of the country's wealth [...and can someone tell why the NEP limits it's target to only 30 % and not 55 % ?].
The other 'sacred cow' is Vernacular Schools .[ see my October 29th blog :Our Education System has failed !].
When Mukriz Mahathir brought up the issue of vernacular schools being a hindrance to the concept of unity in Malaysia we can hear all sort of discordant , muted and irrational rebuttals from Gerakan ,MCA and DAP and also our new resident clown ,Samy Vellooo [ when is this botak going to retire ?].I am more interested to hear what our Mr Viagra Chua Soi Lek has to say ,especially after his recent burst on 'Ketuanan Melayu .The Melayus ,Mr Viagra Sir ,would rather own 70 % of the Nation's wealth than being a Tuan .Nothing is sacred ,not even the Malay Sultanate ,[ especially if they do not behave themselves as expected of Rulers ] for the Melayus if we have to beg for pittance in our very own Tanah Air .
I am reminded of Tan Sri Musa Hitam's advice many years back when he was much younger and more vibrant :" We Malays sometime has to be kurang ajar a bit only then others will respect us ".In 2008 ,it means let us insist on getting back to the 'master bedroom' ,not remaining on the verannda of our very own house.
And not having to apologise about it .It is sickening and bone chilling to see Pak Lah and our future PM designate did so several months ago .You cannot call a spade by any other name !A spade is a spade [ see Sept 26th blog :Lest We Forget....] ] .
Dr Nik Howk
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