National pride does not pay the bills for Malaysia's medal winners

 

Malaysian athletes and officials during the closing ceremony of the Thailand SEA Games at Rajamangala Stadium, Bangkok, on Dec 20. PIC BY EIZAIRI SHAMSUDIN

KUALA LUMPUR: Rewarding successful athletes is a long-term investment rather than an expense, says sports science specialist Dr Ahmad Fadzlee Ahmad Idriss, following calls to rethink national athlete support.

The Malaysian contingent won 57 gold, 57 silver, and 117 bronze medals at the recently concluded Thailand SEA Games.

Under current rates, athletes receive RM20,000 for their first gold medal (RM10,000 for subsequent ones), RM3,000 for silver, and RM1,000 for bronze.

Compared with other leading Southeast Asian sporting nations, Malaysia's gold medal incentive is the second lowest among the top six, ahead of only Vietnam.

Indonesia leads regional gold medal incentives with one billion rupiah (RM242,100), followed by Thailand with 300,000 baht (RM39,170), Singapore with SG$10,000 (RM31,624), and the Philippines with 300,000 pesos (RM20,722) plus lifetime perks.

Vietnam offers 45 million dong (RM6,942) but supplements rewards through corporate sponsors.

Fadzlee, who specialises in sports psychology, said financial rewards remain a key motivator for athletes who do not have lucrative careers.

"Only the top athletes earn a lot but the majority, especially at the SEA Games, do not earn much," said Fadzlee.

"Allowances are low, so rewards are something athletes look forward to to compensate for their winning effort. A silver medallist's reward of RM3,000 does not do much for an athlete."

He said athlete income should allow for reinvestment in training, recovery, and preparation, adding that rewards push athletes toward higher performance.

Fadzlee also questioned spending priorities, noting that foreign coaches are often paid handsomely while athletes receive limited support.

"The investment in athletes should be long term. An athlete will only peak for about 10 years on average," he said.

"We need to see how these athletes can become coaches. They have the experience and understand our system and culture. Their expertise can be used to develop new athletes, and they are cheaper than foreign coaches.'

He said the era of competing for mere national pride is over, as athletes face drastic life changes once their short careers end.

"Every other athlete is also competing for national pride and, most of the time, achievements are forgotten after a period of time," he said.

In July 2023, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said incentives for national athletes should be increased threefold, a view that has resurfaced following renewed debate over athlete welfare. - NST

PRK di Perlis boleh cetus konfrontasi PAS-Bersatu, kata penganalisis

Namun menurut penganalisis, PRK Chuping, Bintong dan Guar Sanji perlu diadakan untuk peroleh mandat baharu rakyat, elak ketidakstabilan.

Speaker DUN Perlis Rus’sele Eizan berkata, beliau akan utus surat kepada SPR mohon PRK diadakan demi kestabilan politik. (Gambar Bernama)

PETALING JAYA:

 Penganalisis menjangkakan kemungkinan besar berlakunya pertembungan antara PAS dan Bersatu jika PRK diadakan di Perlis, selepas kerusi tiga Adun PAS diisytiharkan kosong hari ini ekoran terhentinya keahlian mereka dalam parti.

Tiada PRK perlu diadakan bagi kerusi Chuping, Bintong dan Guar Sanji memandangkan DUN akan terbubar secara automatik dalam tempoh dua tahun.

Bagaimanapun, Speaker DUN Perlis Rus’sele Eizan berkata, beliau akan mengutus surat kepada Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) bagi memohon agar PRK diadakan demi menjamin kestabilan politik.

Azmi Hassan daripada Akademi Nusantara memberi amaran bahawa keretakan antara PAS dan Bersatu dilihat ‘parah’ dan perkara ini boleh mencetuskan persaingan langsung sekiranya PRK diadakan.

“Jika PRK diadakan, kedua-dua parti itu hampir pasti akan bertembung sesama sendiri,” katanya menambah, Barisan Nasional (BN), terutamanya Umno, mungkin akan mengambil kesempatan atas perpecahan tersebut.

“Perlis (sebelum ini) ditadbir oleh BN untuk tempoh yang lama dan sokongan akar umbi tempatan terhadap Umno masih kuat. Peranan Pakatan Harapan pula dijangka lebih terhad,” katanya.

PAS menghentikan keahlian Saad Seman (Chuping), Fakhrul Anwar Ismail (Bintong) dan Ridzuan Hashim (Guar Sanji) selepas mereka didakwa menarik balik sokongan terhadap bekas menteri besar Shukri Ramli, yang juga merupakan pemimpin PAS.

Ketiga-tiga bekas Adun tersebut dikatakan terlibat dalam pakatan bersama lima Adun Bersatu untuk menyingkirkan Shukri sebagai menteri besar. Shukri meletak jawatan awal hari ini disebabkan faktor kesihatan.

Sumber sebelum ini dipetik mendakwa Bersatu merupakan dalang di sebalik rancangan menyingkirkan Shukri untuk melantik menteri besar daripada parti itu sendiri.

Bersatu dilaporkan telah mengemukakan nama tiga Adunnya, iaitu Abu Bakar Hamzah (Kuala Perlis), Megat Hashirat Hassan (Pauh) dan Izizam Ibrahim (Titi Tinggi), sebagai calon menteri besar.

Azmi memberi amaran bahawa ketidakstabilan politik akan berterusan sekiranya PRK tidak diadakan.

“Tanpa mandat baharu, sangat sukar untuk mentadbir sebagai kerajaan minoriti,” katanya.

Beliau menyifatkan kemelut ini pada dasarnya merupakan persaingan antara PAS dan Bersatu untuk menguasai Perlis, yang turut membawa implikasi lebih luas pada peringkat nasional.

“Apa yang berlaku sekarang sebenarnya adalah perebutan kuasa antara PAS dan Bersatu bagi mengawal kerajaan negeri Perlis. Selain isu di Perlis, ia juga menyentuh soal siapa yang mengawal PN di peringkat pusat.”

Sivamurugan Pandian daripada Universiti Sains Malaysia pula berpendapat, pertembungan PAS-Bersatu boleh berlaku, namun bukanlah sesuatu yang tidak dapat dielakkan.

“Risiko ini timbul kerana ketiga-tiga kerusi tersebut dimenangi di bawah tiket PAS, namun Bersatu mungkin berhujah mereka berhak bertanding sebagai rakan kongsi PN yang setara, terutama jika imbangan kuasa di Perlis menjadi taruhan,” katanya.

Sivamurugan berkata, amaran Speaker mengenai kemungkinan berlakunya DUN tergantung menunjukkan betapa terdesaknya situasi tersebut, dan tanpa mandat baharu, aspek keabsahan dan kestabilan akan terus dipersoalkan.

Beliau turut memberi amaran bahawa pada peringkat nasional, konfrontasi secara terbuka hanya akan mengeruhkan hubungan dalam blok PN.

“Namun, kedua-dua parti mempunyai dorongan kuat untuk mengendalikan isu ini secara pragmatik, mungkin menerusi rundingan kerusi, bagi mengelakkan gambaran berlakunya perpecahan (dalaman) menjelang pilihan raya akan datang,” tambahnya.

Bersatu rasa ‘terancam’?

Sementara itu, menurut Awang Azman Pawi daripada Universiti Malaya, PRK ketiga-tiga kerusi DUN itu, jika diadakan, akan mendedahkan garis retak yang mendalam di dalam PN.

Beliau berkata, Bersatu kini berada dalam kedudukan yang lebih lemah dan bergantung kepada parti lain di Perlis, memandangkan jawatan menteri besar dipegang oleh PAS, dan parti Islam itu menguasai majoriti kerusi DUN susulan PRN lepas.

“Bersatu semakin terasa dipinggirkan dan sekadar dilayan sebagai rakan kongsi kerdil. Lama-kelamaan, perkara ini menimbulkan kegelisahan dalam Bersatu.

“Apabila sesebuah komponen parti rasa ancaman sebegini, kesepaduan dalam gabungan politik tersebut akan mula terhakis,” katanya. - FMT

Insiden minyak tercampur: PDB hubungi pelanggan terjejas, stesen tutup sementara

PDB berkata, pihaknya ambil langkah-langkah perlu untuk selesaikan perkara itu dengan segera.

Terdahulu, tular insiden beberapa kenderaan rosak selepas mengisi minyak di Stesen Petronas Samarahan Expressway, didakwa kerana minyak petrol dan diesel tercampur.

PETALING JAYA:

 Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PDB) memaklumkan pihaknya telah menghubungi pelanggan yang terjejas akibat insiden minyak petrol dan diesel didakwa tercampur di sebuah stesen Petronas di Sarawak semalam.

PDB berkata, pihaknya telah mengambil langkah-langkah perlu untuk menyelesaikan perkara itu dengan segera, lapor Bernama.

Syarikat itu turut memaklumkan, stesen terbabit ditutup sementara bagi siasatan lanjut dan operasi bersambung semula pada hari yang sama.

Terdahulu, tular insiden beberapa kenderaan rosak selepas mengisi minyak di Stesen Petronas Samarahan Expressway, didakwa kerana minyak petrol dan diesel tercampur akibat isu teknikal pada sistem simpanan minyak stesen tersebut.

Memohon maaf kepada semua pelanggan terjejas, PDB menegaskan, pihaknya memandang serius insiden tersebut.

“PDB ingin memberi jaminan kepada pelanggan kami iaitu stesen Petronas yang lain terus beroperasi seperti biasa dan tidak terjejas,” katanya dalam kenyataan. - FMT

Domestic tourism at record high but inbound tourism remains unclear

 

THE best indicators of how well domestic and inbound tourism are performing are by visitor numbers and tourism expenditures. Over the years, these figures were regularly posted by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) and Tourism Malaysia (TM) in their websites.

The annual Domestic Tourism Surveys (DTS) were consistently released at the end of every June, and tourist arrival figures from the top 40 countries were usually posted by TM on a quarterly basis and six months after the last quarter posting.

For many years, I regularly checked for the latest “Malaysia tourist arrivals by country”, and my comments would be written and sent to the media for publication. DOSM was very professional as impending reports would be announced in advance and released on the scheduled dates.

From 2021, instead of releasing the annual DTS in June the following year, DOSM switched to posting the surveys earlier on a quarterly basis. By Dec 18 this year, the performance of domestic tourism for the third quarter had already been published.

On the other hand, TM switched to “Visitor Performance to Malaysia” with the latest posting still showing figures from Jan-Apr.

At the end of May, figures from Jan-Mar were posted, and later until April. After that, there was no further update. And we are now approaching the end of the year.

With no new inbound figures available, the comments below are limited to domestic tourism. There were 69.7m, 73.8m, and 72.6m domestic visitors for the first, second, and third quarter respectively, with a monthly average of 24 million.

If the average number is the same for the last quarter, then the total for the year would be 288 million domestic visitors. In comparison, there were 239 million domestic visitors in 2019, the year before the pandemic.

DOSM identified that there were 25.2m, 27.4m, and 26.7m domestic tourists in the first, second, and third quarter respectively. The rest of the visitors were excursionists who did not spend overnight away from home and were on a day trip, returning home the same day.

Tourists are vital for paid accommodation suppliers such as licensed hotels and short-term rental accommodation (STRA) providers. But the majority of domestic tourists stay at free accommodation provided by family members, relatives, and friends.

Hence, tourism expenditure is more important than headcounts. Domestic visitors, which include tourists and excursionists, spent RM29.4b, RM29.2b, and RM29.8b in the first, second, and third quarter respectively, with a monthly average of RM9.8 billion.

If the average expenditure is the same for the last quarter, then the total for the year would be RM117.8 bil. In comparison, domestic tourism expenditure in 2019 was RM103.2 bil. While domestic tourism has clearly done well, as supported by figures, inbound tourism appears to be murky.

Figures released by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture have been limited to visitor arrivals without tourist arrival numbers. For many years, only tourist arrival figures were posted in “Malaysia tourist arrivals from the top 40 countries”. In later years, a separate table was added for excursionist arrivals.

In any case, both tourist arrivals and excursionist arrivals were obtained from the Immigration Department.

As the system is computerised, the figures can be totaled up at the press of a few buttons after the end of each month. It remains a mystery why arrival numbers are released many months later.

Many countries (and also Sabah and Sarawak), release visitor or tourist arrival figures early, which helps industry players to know better how well inbound tourism is performing.

If this remains an assumption, how ready are we for Visit Malaysia 2026, which is just a week away? 

YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT,

- Focus Malaysia.

When the family loses its sacred place, the nation pays the price

 

A NATIONAL reflection for all concerned Malaysians for 2026: Malaysia recorded 190,304 marriages in 2024—slightly higher than in 2023. There were 60,457 divorces in 2024, an increase of about 4.1% from the roughly 58,095 divorces in 2023.

The Crude Marriage Rate (CMR) remained around 5.6 per 1,000 population, while the Crude Divorce Rate (CDR) rose to 1.8 per 1,000 population.

While more couples tied the knot in 2024 compared with the previous year, divorces also rose indicating that marriage remains common but that marital dissolution continues to be a significant social pattern.

Malaysia often speaks of family as the foundation of society. Yet rising divorce rates, domestic conflict, elder neglect, and fractured parent-child relationships tell a more troubling story.

The institution of the family is no longer experienced as sacred by many Malaysians—not because families are rejected, but because their moral meaning has quietly eroded.

This is not merely a private tragedy. It is a national concern, touching the very principles upon which Malaysia was founded.

The Rukun Negara, a moral promise not merely a slogan which begins with belief in God and ends with morality and courtesy. Between these pillars lie loyalty, constitutional supremacy, rule of law, and good behaviour.

(Image: iStock)

These principles were never intended to remain abstract ideals. They were meant to be lived first in the family, the smallest and most influential unit of the nation.

When children no longer learn respect at home, no law can manufacture it later. When care for elders weakens in families, social welfare systems are strained. When trust collapses within households, it eventually collapses in institutions.

The weakening of family life is therefore not a cultural footnote—it is a failure to translate national values into daily practice.

The Constitution protects the family, but cannot sustain it alone. The Federal Constitution safeguards marriage, parenthood, equality, and the dignity of the individual. It recognises the family as essential to social stability, but constitutions can only protect frameworks, they cannot cultivate character.

No article of law can teach patience between spouses, no statute can legislate compassion between generations, no court can replace moral education learned at the dining table.

When families weaken, societies turn increasingly to enforcement—policing behaviour rather than nurturing conscience. This is costly, ineffective, and ultimately unsustainable.

One of the defining features of our time is the shift from viewing relationships as covenants of responsibility to contracts of convenience. Marriage becomes conditional on satisfaction. Parenthood is weighed against personal freedom. Elder care is outsourced rather than honoured.

Economic pressures and modern life are often blamed, but hardship alone does not destroy families. What erodes them is the absence of a shared moral vision—a sense that family life is not merely personal, but a public good.

This concern is echoed in global reflections on social development, including the 19 March message of the Universal House of Justice which observes that societies suffer when institutions lose their moral and spiritual foundations and are reduced to instruments of individual interest.

Malaysia rightly upholds rights, but rights, when detached from responsibility, can quietly undermine the very relationships that make freedom meaningful.

A society that emphasises “my choice” without “our duty” risks producing citizens who are legally protected but morally unanchored. The family is where this balance must first be learned—where freedom is guided by care, and authority is tempered by love.

Without this balance, individualism does not lead to dignity—it leads to fragmentation.

(Image: Malay Mail)

Malaysia is a religious nation, yet religiosity does not automatically translate into strong families. When faith becomes an identity marker or political symbol rather than a force for ethical transformation, it loses its power to sustain daily life.

The values proclaimed in public must be practised in private. The sacredness of family is preserved not by slogans, but by virtues of justice, patience, consultation, equality, and service—lived consistently at home.

The family need to be reclaimed as a moral Institution, restoring the sacred place of the family, that does not mean returning to rigid traditions or imposing control. It requires a moral renewal, aligned with the spirit of the Rukun Negara and the Constitution.

Marriage need to be practiced as partnership, not dominance, valuing care work as nation-building labour. Teaching children ethics alongside achievement, treating elders as reservoirs of wisdom, not burdens. The family is the nation’s first school of citizenship. If it fails, no curriculum reform, enforcement mechanism, or policy innovation can fully compensate.

Malaysians need to have a national reflection. The question before Malaysia is not whether families still exist—they do. The question is whether we still see them as sacred trusts essential to our shared future.

If the Rukun Negara is to remain a living covenant and the Constitution a moral compass rather than a legal manual, the family must once again be recognised as the heart of national integrity. When the family weakens, the nation fractures quietly.

When the family is strengthened, the nation heals—patiently, enduringly, and from within. 

K.Tamil Maran ( KT Maran)
Seremban, Negri Sembilan

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT. 

 Focus Malaysia.