KUALA LUMPUR — Datuk Amarjit Singh faces a significant challenge ahead, despite his two-year term as president of the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) seeming short.
Amarjit was elected today after a three-way contest, securing 35 votes to defeat Yunus Ibrahim, who received 23 votes. Acting president Mazlan Md Jalil failed to garner any support.
This leadership change comes as representatives called for a new direction, despite Mazlan having stepped in as acting president last year following the passing of Datuk Abu Samah Abdul Wahab.
Amarjit emphasised the need for unity within the MNCF, urging collaboration from all, including those who did not support him.
“I took this opportunity today to clarify this matter to all the representatives, and I’m relieved that everyone responded with an open heart.
“I don’t know how to play politics, I believe in collaborating with anyone. I even told Yunus that, despite his loss to me, he is more than welcome to assist me in developing and strengthening MNCF, as he has valuable experience and expertise.
“Claims of a civil war within MNCF will only arise if individuals are unwilling to open up, listen, and accept differing perspectives. Therefore, I aim to avoid such politics and foster a healthy culture within MNCF,” said Amarjit to Scoop.
A key priority for Amarjit is rebuilding ties with the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS).
He also plans to recover over RM1 million in government funds, crucial for supporting the road cycling, mountain bike, and BMX teams.
“This presidential role comes with a lot of responsibility. I want to rebuild the relationship between KBS and MNCF while also strengthening our ties with affiliates and seeking new funding from private sources.
“We’re working to recover the funding that the government was supposed to provide us, which is over RM1 million. This money is vital for supporting our road cycling team, mountain bike and BMX squad.
“I believe that if we can strengthen these relationships, it will make it much easier for us to present our ideas, like bringing the road cycling team back into the NSC programme.
“Even if that doesn’t happen, we can look into securing special allocations for MNCF to bolster the road cycling team, especially since they’ve been showing some really promising results,” he added.
For the record, the national road cycling team has been excluded from the NSC programme for the past 10 years following their disappointing performance at the 2013 Nay Pyi Taw SEA Games.
Despite facing numerous challenges, MNCF remains committed to the development of the national road cyclists, consistently sending teams to participate in events like Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL). — October 12, 2024