‘PKR politics’ enters sports as two ministers battle it out to conquer KLFA

Is Kuala Lumpur football so attractive that we are seeing not one, but two Cabinet ministers battling it out for the presidency?

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad are eyeing the top spot at Kuala Lumpur FA. The two PKR colleagues have their line-up of preferred candidates whom they would like to see elected at the FA's Sept 7 polls.

For the record, Fahmi is the Lembah Pantai MP, while Nik Nazmi is the Setiawangsa MP.

Those on Fahmi's line-up include Datuk Azman Abidin, the political secretary to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, and Datuk Razlan Rafii, who is deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's political secretary.

Nik Nazmi's team includes Wangsa Maju MP and PKR man Zahir Hassan, Shah Alam MP Azli Yusof who is with Parti Amanah Negara, and Malaysia Stadium Corporation chief executive officer Ilyas Jamil. There are also two Kuala Lumpur City Hall ranking personnel - Mohamad Hamim and Mohd Sori Husain - on Nik Nazmi's list.

This is similar to the en bloc nominees often seen during PKR’s party polls. Some fear KLFA may not function well should members from both camps end up securing spots in the FA election. Others wonder how Fahmi or Nik Nazmi, already bogged down with ministerial duties and matters concerning their 'kawasan' (constituencies), will make time for football.

Ironically, there has not been much "noise" over the two ministers wanting to run a sports association. Stakeholders had previously voiced their displeasure over politicians “hijacking” sports bodies. Several former ministers and politicians have served sporting organisations in the past, most notably, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim. The Arau MP, at one time, had served several sports bodies, including athletics, football, swimming, and even kabaddi.

Shahidan remains president of the Malaysia Athletics Federation and Malaysia Swimming – two sports that have somehow escaped public scrutiny despite being a significant presence at multi-sporting events. Despite this, Malaysia still struggles to produce talent in both sports at the regional and world levels.

Several years ago, there was also a ruling, in which Cabinet ministers were not allowed to hold positions within sports bodies unless they received clearance from the prime minister. This followed the backlash that politicians received when the sports they represented were not improving. However, given the multiple changes of leadership in Putrajaya, the rule seems to have been forgotten.

It is rather ambitious of Fahmi and Nik Nazmi to take over KLFA. The city’s football has been in the doldrums for decades. In fact, in 2011, there was a ‘Save KLFA’ movement to help the football association raise funds for its team. Yet, funding continues to be a problem.

Kuala Lumpur City FC has been in the news for the wrong reasons recently – for not being able to pay the wages of their footballers on time.

So, is this yet another attempt to get a politician, and his politically-connected friends, on board to secure funds?

Kuala Lumpur City Hall should not be bailing out KLFA. If the local council wanted to fund sports, it would be better off investing in sports like badminton, where our shuttlers made it to the Olympics.

The entire situation also shows that football isn’t as lucrative as it is made out to be. Despite being the most popular sport in the country, and KL Football City having tasted some glory in recent years, clubs continue to face funding issues.

Those who will be casting their votes in the Sept 7 elections should ask Fahmi and Nik Nazmi what their plans are to raise funds and turn Kuala Lumpur football into a sustainable entity. They should also give assurance that KLFA will remain sustainable – even after these politicians leave.

Otherwise, expect brickbats from those who are tired of politicians using football to win the hearts of fans (voters).