KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal has urged the Finance Ministry to allocate a larger budget for the Youth and Sports Ministry to improve the country’s sports industry.
Subahan believes that only with increased funding to the Sports Ministry, sufficient resources will be provided to all sports associations in Malaysia.
Notably, the government’s allocation for the sports industry in Budget 2024 is RM184 million, a significant decrease of 46.1% compared to the RM399 million allocated the previous year.
In an exclusive interview with Scoop, Subahan emphasised the need for the MoF to develop new strategies to boost the Sports Ministry’s budget.
He expressed satisfaction with the support MHC had received from the ministry over the years.
“It’s not the ministry, it’s the national budget that’s the issue. The country’s leaders need to understand that if you want results, you need to fund the Sports Ministry more. Only then can they adequately support the sports bodies.
“The MoF should create formulas for the Sports Ministry to find ways to fund the sports associations. These associations need substantial budgets, and it’s not an overnight process.
“National hockey players, for instance, need to be well-compensated. It’s a very short career span for them.
“I applaud Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, she is making significant efforts and went out of her way to secure funds from the MoF to prepare the Hockey Five Series team for the World Cup. I believe she is doing a commendable job,” said Subahan, who is in his final term as MHC president.
Subahan also highlighted that sports had traditionally been a low priority in the national budget, a trend that must change if the government wanted to see significant improvements in the coming years.
“Sports have always been the last priority. For any sport to succeed, there must be substantial funding.
“For example, in India, the men’s hockey team alone has a budget equivalent to RM50 million.
“But we are thankful for the support we’ve received from the Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council. So far, we are happy, but I still need to knock on more doors,” Subahan said when met.
It was reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had pledged special consideration for the Sports Ministry, including additional allocations.
Anwar, who also serves as finance minister, stated that despite current financial constraints, certain programmes, such as the Road to Gold and Podium Programme initiatives for the Paris Olympics, should be prioritised.
For the record, Subahan began his career as private secretary to the parliamentary secretary of the MoF in 1992.
In 1995, he was promoted to senior private secretary to the deputy finance minister, serving until 1998. – June 14, 2024