Youth and Sports Ministry cuts loose nine 'politically appointed' board members
KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry has ended the tenures of nine members of its board of directors, with immediate effect.
Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said the nine, all political appointees, held the posts of chairman, directors and board members.
They held positions within institutions such as Subang Golf Board, Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES), National Sports Institute and Malaysia Stadiums Board.
“I have sent them a thank you note in the middle of last month, and ended their tenures as their appointments were political in nature.
“Those who have direct membership in Umno, and hold leadership positions such as youth chiefs or division chiefs will be replaced by people who are not involved in politics,” he told a press conference at the Parliament lobby on Thursday.
He said the move was necessary to ensure no repeats of past mistakes.
“We want people who are truly qualified to hold these positions. No more politicians. We may appoint corporate figures, people with experience or even former athletes who have contributed vastly to the country,” he said.
Meanwhile, Syed Saddiq said there are no plans to revive the Formula One (F1) race at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) as it involves a high cost.
He said the government will be focusing on motorsports by way of transforming SIC into a national motorsports hub and ‘motorsports city’.
“For now, F1 isn’t generating much revenue and incurs high cost annually.
“The government has to spend between US$50 million (RM203.74 juta) and US$70 million (RM285.24 million) to handle the costs before.
“When it was first initiated, it went well as it was only among two circuits in Asia.
“Spectator figures were high then but now, Singapore, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have their own circuits. The cost is now US$70 million; it was US$12 million (RM48.90 million) before but revenue has since dropped,” he said.
He said the SIC leadership as well as Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, will place emphasis on two-wheeled motorsports such as Moto2, Moto3 and MotoGP.
Ticket sales for the MotoGP race next month, he said, are encouraging.
“Ticket sales for the corporate box are almost sold out and is generating good revenue. This vision, we hope, will not only produce more riders but also spawn a whole network such as engineers, software and technology transfer through MotoGP,” he said. © New Straits Times Press
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