KUALA LUMPUR — Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) president, Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, has questioned why funds for para-athlete development are being channelled through the National Sports Council (NSC) when they have worked hard to secure it through negotiations with the Finance Ministry (MoF).
His remarks come after Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh confirmed an allocation for para-athlete development in Budget 2025, but said the funds would be disbursed through agencies like the NSC and National Youth and Sports Department (JBSN), not directly to PCM.
Hannah also highlighted that PCM, like the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM), must seek its own funding for development initiatives instead of relying solely on government support.
However, Megat disagreed with this comparison, pointing out that PCM is still subject to NSC oversight, unlike the fully independent OCM.
“It’s absurd for the minister to compare us with OCM. The NSC continues to dictate PCM’s administrative matters,” Megat told Scoop.
“I personally spoke to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim about securing RM15 million for para-athlete development, and he agreed.
“In fact, I’m not the only national sports association (NSA) leader who did this. Others have done the same thing. So, why is the sports minister interfering, insisting the funds go through NSC when we did all the work negotiating with the MoF? The money should rightly be disbursed directly to us.
“The reason I approached the MoF is that, over the years, the sports ministry and the NSC have not done much for us.”
For the record, the OCM is a self-funded non-governmental organisation, independent of government interference. While PCM, despite also being an NGO, has been overseen by NSC since its establishment in 1989.
Megat added that PCM’s development efforts have been more consistent than those of the NSC, citing the work done by PCM’s 25 affiliated associations.
“Why should we be answerable to NSC when they have never conducted any serious development programmes over the years? It’s unfair for the minister to compare us with OCM, as they don’t have to be answerable to the sports ministry like we are.
“We can be self-reliant, but to achieve that, we would need to cut ties with the sports ministry and NSC. We don’t see them as our enemy, but if that’s the direction they want to take… we are ready,” Megat added.
Megat also expressed hope that PCM would receive the full RM15 million without deductions by NSC.
“We’re not looking for trouble, nor are we trying to create a negative impression of anyone. All we need are the funds, and we will do our best for the athletes.
“If we don’t get the promised funds, we will have no choice but to resort to crowdfunding, but that would reflect poorly on the sports minister.”
In the recently tabled Budget 2025, Anwar announced over RM230 million for sports development, including podium programmes, the Road to Gold initiative, and preparations for para-athletes competing in international events like the 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo. — October 20, 2024