Muhyiddin: Ministry did not meddle

09/08/1998

SPORTS Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, after being burnt by the Roslin
Hashim badminton affair and now confronted with the simmering problem over
Commonwealth Games selection for rhythmic gymnastics, distanced himself
from the selection process.
He made it clear yesterday that neither he nor Sports Commissioner Datuk
Ahmad Bakri Shabdin have any say in the selection of athletes for the
Games next month.
Some quarters have also accused Bakri of trying to interfere in the
selection of rhythmic gymnasts.
"I want to make it absolutely clear that the Sports Ministry have no say
in the selection of athletes for the Commonwealth Games," said Muhyiddin
after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU)
involving United Engineers Malaysia, the Ministry of Education, the
Ministry of National Unity and Social Development and Sukom '98.
The MoU is to arrange to bring down 6,000 students from outside Kuala
Lumpur for the Games.
"The responsible parties (for selection) are the Olympic Council of
Malaysia (OCM) and the associations," said Muhyiddin.
"Bakri and I don't have the power to select or drop an athlete. Yes,
parents can approach us for advice, but the final say is with the OCM and
associations."
In reply to the rhythmic gymnasts' standoff due to OCM inteference,
Muhyiddin said any boycott at this juncture would be damaging.
"All the athletes and their parents must understand that the Games are
bigger than individual athletes. And if athletes are dropped, they have
the right to appeal but not cause trouble."
The parents of Farah Zelina, who was dropped from the Games rhythmic
gymnastics team, have been lobbying to get her included.
OCM secretary Sieh Kok Chi had proposed to the father of one of the
gymnast selected, Sundara Rajah, to get his daughter Sarina to step down
in favour of Farah.
This enraged the fathers of all the four gymnasts selected and they have
threatened to pull out their daughters if there is any change to the
squad.
Muhyiddin said that Sieh should not have tried to handle the matter
alone.
"They (OCM) have a committee for selection and instead of an individual
effort, the committee should have been consulted before making any moves,"
he said.
"The OCM have good clear guidelines and are not new in the business of
selecting athletes. I am suprised the issue has been blown out of
proportion."
(END)