KUALA LUMPUR – Tan Sri Norza Zakaria fulfilled his promise by officially stepping down as the president of the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM) today.
After chairing his final council meeting at the Akademi Badminton Malaysia (ABM), Norza, who took on the role in 2017, informed the press that he was relinquishing his position with immediate effect.
The Selangor Badminton Association president, who is also his deputy, Datuk V. Subramaniam will step in as acting president until next year’s next presidential election.
“Today marks a historic day for me as it is my last day as BAM president and my final council meeting,” Norza said during a press conference.
“We can officially announce that Datuk V. Subramaniam will take over as acting president.
“When I assumed leadership in 2017, my focus was on strengthening BAM’s finances and governance. We were the first to contribute to EPF and Socso six years ahead of time.
“That same year, we also unveiled ABM, which has since become the home for our elite and junior players,” Norza added, expressing confidence in the next generation of leadership.
In December last year, Norza announced his intention to step down from his post and named Investment, Trade, and Industry Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz as his successor.
However, he was persuaded by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh to remain in his role until after the Paris Olympics.
Separately, Norza emphasised the importance of strong principles, processes, and systems moving forward.
He highlighted BAM’s ability to retain and attract new sponsors, even in his absence.
“I would say this: we have built a process and system here. When we announced that we were bringing Pemandu Associates on board, allowing others to look into our books, we proved our transparency.
“This alone should convince future sponsors to invest in the institution rather than individuals,” Norza explained.
When asked if Zafrul is still a frontrunner for the president’s post, Norza dismissed the speculation.
“I don’t want to entertain any speculation because it won’t help the situation. Let the due process take its course.” – August 24, 2024