Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Malay Mail, without the the...



Malay Mail will continue to stir shit lah!

Yesterday's back page was interesting. Dr Defensive.

I would love to refute the points made by National Sports Institute director general Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz but not now. Later maybe.

And then I might even spill the beans on what transpired between Dr Ramlan and I over mee rebus and cendol at Serdang Jaya recently.

Anyway, enjoy Haresh Deol's Q n A.



Dr Defensive

MAILSPORT'S recent expose on the National Sports Council's lavish spending has got their former director-general Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz on the defensive.
Ramlan headed the NSC when they approved RM22.4 million for 'professional services, consultancy and hospitality' in 2006 - more than four times the amount they had spent in 2003.
In a compelling interview, Ramlan explains the spending and reveals his 'soft-spot' for former Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said and a possible power struggle within the NSC.

‘Azalina has grand visions’

FORMER National Sports Council director-general Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz is upset with recent reports of extra-ordinary funding expenditure during his tenure at the NSC.

The DG of the National Sports Institute, an ardent Tottenham Hotspur fan who is also brother to music producer Roslan Aziz, headed NSC when they approved spending RM22 million for ‘professional services, consultancy and hospitality’ in 2006

After ‘jamming’ with his Malay College Old Boys band the drummer-guitarist-vocalist speaks to Mailsport’s HARESH DEOL over a cup of tea about Mailsport’s front page expose on NSC’s extravagant expenditure (based on the Auditor General’s Report 2003-2006), his ‘soft-spot’ for former Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said and a possible power tussle within the establishment.



Mailsport (MS): How do you justify the huge amount spent?



Dr Ramlan (DR): We have procedures within the establishment. It’s not like we can simply go to a vault and take out how much we want.

We go through a process with many layers involved. Let’s talk about the National Sports Awards – we have a committee which discusses the cost with the minister and we get an estimate on the budget. If everything goes well, we will approve the budget. Then a form will be filled up and signed by the DG (given approval) and this will be further broken up into different limbs catering to various sub-expenditures where each limb requires further approval.

Once it is approved, only then can the organising committee run the show.



MS: So the approvals simply justify the large amount spent?



DR: The NSC board approves an overall budget in the beginning of the year and we have to work within the budget. If our plans go overboard, then we go back to the board or the chairman of the board (Sports Minister).

What we did (expenditure) was required and needed at that time.



It’s always a learning process for us.



Azalina has introduced a lot of new innovative concepts. At times it’s difficult for us to get a sense of value for money just by looking at achieving the objectives per say.



MS: When will the learning process stop? Don’t you do your homework?



DR: What sort of homework are we talking about? We obtain quotations and normally it’s along the same bracket. But lets say A comes up with a quotation of RM300,000 while B quotes RM60,000. Then you wonder is A too expensive or is B desperate for the job and may not be able to deliver instead. Also we need to see if they are truly professionals or otherwise. That’s how we choose and learn where we can cut costs in the future.



MS: Wouldn’t the RM1.2 million spent on the 2006 National Sports Awards (NSA) be put to better use?



DR: Why don’t we forget about all this and give it to the poor instead? People are constantly pushing the envelope.

The NSA isn’t only about honouring the athletes, but also give them and the public a sense of pride, motivation and determination. For most athletes it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Those days we could be contended with the RTM band but today, perhaps, we need a multiple band. Microphones, sound and lighting equipments are not cheap. There’s also the organisation aspect as well while the prizes (trophies) are of higher quality as well.

We did what was necessary at that time. It works both horizontally and vertically; the standards have risen to cater for a wider spectrum of people.



Azalina is a very open person and responds well to feedbacks put forward in a respectful manner. She has grand visions.



However, the Auditor General’s office looks at numbers and it seems as if we had ‘wasted’ money. And the ‘ticking off’… it is a mere reminder which is also embedded in every other Auditor General’s Report.



MS: You did mention there are certain individuals tarnishing you and Azalina’s image.



DR: I stand by what I’ve said earlier. There is a concerted effort to cast a negative image on her and the officers who had served her. The timing of the issue is simply strange to me, with previous news reports leading up to your exposure…but because we’re the heads, we fly the flag.

I still have difficultly coming to terms (with the issue) but there has been enough of checks and balance done within our organisation.

You may have your opinion of it being excessive, but it’s your opinion.



DR: You seem to have a soft spot for Azalina.



MS: I have a soft spot for all my former bosses.



MS: There are claims of a conspiracy to bring you down.



DR: Things have been mushrooming wildly. Let’s omit this conspiracy. I do this job for the nation.



MS: Some believe you and Datuk Zolkples Embong (current NSC DG) ‘had no business’ participating in the Olympic torch run two weeks ago.



DR: Our business is helping the athletes to do their business. I’ve been to four Olympics –Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996, Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 – as the medical officer of the International Olympic Council. I’m sure that means something and I’m honoured to be part of the run and help athletes as well.



MS: There are talks of re-uniting NSC and NSI.



DR: I don’t know. I’m a government servant and obey my bosses’ instructions. There are many options for me to give my feedback and I’m not afraid to share my opinions.

I’m optimistic everything can turn out as good as it can be.



MS: Any last words to your critics?



DR: I’m not distracted by all this and I don’t answer to such critics. We are answerable to our guardians. Ask the athletes and they know best what we’ve done for them.



Perhaps I tend to talk too much and people take me out of context. I prefer to be left alone and concentrate on my job.



40 comments:

Anonymous said...

When Dr. Ramlan explain...dr. Defensive...when others explain - clarification? Anyway please post the article....and let the reader be the judge...

The Blueberry said...

Yes, shit they stirred... Watch out when it hits the fan...

Anonymous said...

Wrong headline....M not a fan for excessive spending or Azalina...but well done la Doc...no bitterness..clear explanation..don't agree but accept it!

Anonymous said...

Hey Doc?!?! Almost didnt recognise you. Is it my eyes or your nose getting a tad longer by the second? Or did u got overdose of tempe last night ?

Anonymous said...

Warkah Terbuka Buat Saudara Rizal Hashim
Written by Tepakbersulam
Tuesday, 06 May 2008
Penulis, mungkin tidak pernah bercakap dengan Rizal Hashim pengarang sukan Malay Mail walaupun penulis bertugas di Kementerian Belia dan Sukan lebih dari tiga tahun dan sering bertembung dan bersua muka dengan beliau.

Penulis rasa lebih selesa untuk memerhatikan sahaja gelagat penulis Malay Mail ini kerana mungkin 'chemestry ' kami tidak bertaup untuk mengorak langkah mengenali antara satu sama lain. Rasanya biar sahaja penulis memerhatikan saja tingkah dan gelagat Rizal sambil mengkaji, apakah jenis spesis yang bernama Rizal Hashim ini.

Apa yang penulis pasti, Rizal ini sememangnya rapat dengan Datuk Zolkples Embong, Pengarah MSN dan tidak suka Dr Ramlan Aziz . Rizal juga ada ramai kawan yang rapat di MSN di mana beliau mendapat banyak berita-berita ketidak puasan hati mereka dan terus di ketuk oleh Rizal untuk dijadikan bahan bagi penulisan beliau.

Apa yang penulis amati, penulisan Rizal adalah luahan yang jujur untuk membangunkan sukan tanah air mahupun bukannya kritik yang ikhlas untuk membetulkan kesilapan bagi memperbaiki pentadbiran sukan melainkam dendam kerana tidak diberikan perhatian.

Rizal lebih cenderong untuk menyerang Datuk Seri Azalina dan kebanyakan tulisan beliau berbau serangan secara peribadi untuk memberikan tekanan kepada menteri ini, mungkin beliau juga di antara orang-orang yang mahukan lebih kasih sayang dari menteri wanita muda ini.

Penulis tidak merasa hairan jika ini berlaku kerana sememangnya ramai yang mahukan kasih sayang yang berlebihan dari mantan menteri belia dan sukan muda ini.

Sebenarnya penulis amat kagum dengan Rizal Hashim ini, jika kita tenguk dari paras rupa dia, (tidak berjenis) kita tidak akan percaya bahawa beliau adalah seorang wartawan sukan berbahasa Inggeris .

Malangnya Rizal menggunakan kebolehan menulisnya anugerah Allah s.w.t untuk kepentingan peribadi yang begitu ketara. Kalaulah Rizal ini dari jenis orang yang baik sangat yang boleh dijadikan wartawan contoh yang tidak melacurkan bidang penulisan ini, cuma tidak ada orang yang mahu menulis tentang penyelewengan beliau dan tentang bagaimana Rizal melacurkan bidang penulisan.

Mungkin Jika Azalina dapat menjaga beliau sebagai pelacur penulisan dengan baik, tentu tulisan Rizal agak berbeza. Dia juga seorang penulis biasa yang mahu kemewahan dan hidup dalam dunia yang glamour seperti Kadir Jasin yang boleh memandu kereta mewah.

Well... Mr Rizal.....

Everyone has skeletons in their closets. When you live in glass houses, don't hurt stones at innocent by standers. When they throw back at you, you can be badly hurt. Word has it that you are no Mr Clean as you make yourself out to be .You too have a price.As much as you portray to be the god fearing individual you are,you have been a hypocrite yourself.

Then what about news that you were driving a sponsored car from a local manufacturer for sometime. Then there is also news that some sports journalist has been taken on golf playing trip to an asean destination by a sports agency. was this a reward for winning a gold medal in some sports or bribery!

What about some asking for handouts? go for the real culprits - you know who they are because you are all protecting them and they are taking care of you. you scratch my back and I will scatch yours. there is a lot more dossiers on all of you out there. keep it coming and we keep hurling back more stones.

Kalaulah Rizal ini benar-benar manusia yang baik tidak mungkin dia menggunakan kereta sponser dari sebuah kilang pengeluar kereta selama setahun dan bila sampai di pejabat terpaksa mencari parking yang jauh supaya kawan-kawan tidak nampak.

Tanyalah Rizal, selain bermain golf apa yang Rizal lakukan lagi ketika mengikut sebuah agensi sukan untuk berseronok main golf di sebuah Negara Asean.

What I mean Mr Rizal Hashim, adakala tulisan biarlah seimbang, kalau asyik menghentam saja tentu pembaca akan menghidu nawaitu sebenar anda. Isu Malaysia Today itu eloklah En Rizal simpan sahaja dalam dairy untuk dijadikan kenanagan abadi, isu lapok yang telah diperjelaskan, kenapa tak puas hati ke .....

Rizal juga ada menipu majikan lama beliau dengan tuntutan taxi yang tidak menusabah dan ada kala beliau disediakan dengan kenderaan rasmi tetapi tetap membuat tuntutan teksi. Tuntutan entertainment palsu , overtime yang tidak di buat dan perjalanan yang tidak di laksanakan.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Good luck MM. May the force be with you.
The blueberry has nice eyes though.... hehehe...

The Blueberry said...

Arnaz,

WHATTT???!!!

Weyyyy my husband knows you laaa...

Er BTW, thank you hehehe...

Anonymous said...

Bro, I think you must reply to tepakbersulam. Maintaining a dignified silence is not an option. Kudos to you for publishing tepakbersulam's comments.

Anonymous said...

Tony Francis loves the new mastheadlah.
when the staff told him they hated it, he told them "you gotta live with it. we are not changing."
so much for freedom.
on a different note, it is very difficult to get the new malay mail.
either not enuough print order or vendors are not sending them out.

Anonymous said...

Malay Mail is not 'free' from the evil clutches of the NST as Chandra is still pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Expect to see the return of Buzz to replace Flip this week.
As everyone knows, Buzz was Chandra's baby back when he was Rocky's No 2 in the Malay Mail.
It's a pity such a fine editor as Tony Francis can't make decisions without CONsulting his old pal.

Anonymous said...

anon 5.39pm

sabotage?
the reason you couldn't get the malay mail yesterday was due to a 'blackout' at the nstp printing plant.
tnb were contacted but they said it was an internal problem.
according to insiders, tony f told datuk ibrahim he suspects sabotage.
this will speed up the paper's move to the new pj office by july instead of september.
how that is going to help is not clear as the paper will still be printed by nstp for the forseeable future.
good opening day sales has made the bigwigs in nstp upset.

Anonymous said...

ini tepak bersulam macam ular sudah kena potong ekor la...asyik kacau orang dan taruk link to his website dengan harapan orang nak tengok web dia yang macam cilaka...

Anonymous said...

I believe I knew enough of Rizal to say that all these comments by tepak are just a bunch oh SH*T!

I am not going to defend Rizal. He's a big boy. He can take care of himself.

But one thing is for sure. If tepak feels like continuing his comments aka FITNAH then just do it in bahasa Melayu la. Sebab bahasa kolonialnye memualkan....

For all we know si tepak ni dah kena makan nasi u-know-who si anu tu...

Sorry. I never want to stoop this low but.......

Anonymous said...

Hey Rizal,
Can I borrow the sponsored car ah?
Aiyaa i thought you religious man hehe
As the mole used to say, what to do?
People who know u know the truth but it would better for you to reveal all and shut up idiots such as tepakbersulam.

ps: how does it feel to receive an open letter for a change? :-p

Anonymous said...

Tepak must be a man and reveal all. No. Not the unzipping part. We are not interested. If you got proofs or whatever to show that Rizal is on the take, not as pious as he projected himself to be, show it to the world. Apa susah? Dont go implicate people for urrmm...implicate's sakes.

If he is answerable to the supposedly sponsored vehicle( was it a Bimmer bro? DAMN!! U lucky dog u!!!) and other goodies than I surely would like to know. But golf? This dude from Batu Pahat probably knew golf better than moi but to claim that he went for a golf holiday? Auw!! Come on man. You gotta be serious. He cant even tell the difference between a pitching club and a wedge ok? So how ah tepak?

You know, it's like accusing somebody of taking botox or tempe to have a makeover but if the truth is that he hadn't consumed any tempe or botox how could you make THAT man confess?

And if the bone of contention is the car then let's clear the air on the Council's vehicles that YOU roamed while you were at it? When a pot dubs a kettle.. urrmm..black, then the pot gotta have balls to show he's not merely picking anything from the sky to come up with a souped-up sh*t.

Tell u what. Go indulge in your much-loved AFUNDI sh*t and come back when you got solid stuff for all. Or maybe for good measure go work on brushing your colonial language in your free time. Your paymasters thought of you highly but honest to goodness, we are not impressed....

Come clean tepak. Or else we are proven right to think that you are a balls-less man as you've made us all to believe..

Anonymous said...

joke that is making it's round in the new malay mail ... hard rock cafe opening new branch at balai berita ... has to be true as hrc manager ronnie k has been in the office always 24 hours a day and even contributes to page 1 ideas.
cheers

Anonymous said...

latest MM art director Irwan Abdul Rahman and MM mail motor assistant editor T. Yogendra pulak quit. Sekarang dah 7 or 8 orang dah quit after Tony F and gang came on board. Apa sudah jadi? bila itu melayu editor will quit?

Anonymous said...

Little birdie ...

get yr facts rite lah bro. Ronnie K not only contributes to front page but also the sports pages as well as the lifestyle and entertainment sections.
he is the unofficial official deputy editor as it is a well known fact YY has been sidelined and being deserted by his own friends - Irwan and Yogendra.
Save money wat, no need to pay Ronnie plus he also supplies drinks.

Anonymous said...

Wahai Saudara Rizal.

Adakah blog anda ini hanya mengenai Malay Mail semata-mata? Nampak gayanya, blog anda ini hanya menampakkan komen-komen kasar ditujukan kepada individu-individu yang tida kaitan dengan SUKAN tanahair.

Ini berdasarkan segala komen yang menjelma sejak saudara mula berkecimpung dalam arena blogging.

Adalah tidak salah bagi kita untuk mengutarakan pendapat; tetapi biarlah berasas dan bertempat.

Siapa itu Tony F? Bill and Frankie? Kepada kita, peminat SUKAN, mereka tidak releven lagi pada dewasa ini!

Memandangkan si penulis menyentuh babak Malay Mail, penulis rasa terkilan melihat tulisan warga Malay Mail (berpandukan edisi Jumaat lalu) yang tidak pernah saya dengari berlagak 'bijak' tentang Liga Perdana Inggeris dan memberi pendapat yang agak sehaluan - agak memualkan kepada peminat SUKAN secara menyeluruh.

Laporkanlah berita SUKAN tanahair dan berilah komen yang bernas lagi membina. Itulah yang para peminat SUKAN inginkan!!

Sekian

Anonymous said...

Tempoyak Machang... kalau tak suka,jangan masukblog ini.

now back to malay mail gossip.
heard from a reliable source that there is trouble at the top.
Tony and Bill are upset with Frankie for allowing Ronnie the freedom of the newsroom.
Ronnie, who sees himself as a lady's man, is rubbing the gals the wrong way.
Could we be seeing the end?

Anonymous said...

Today big showdown ... Manchester United or Chelsea?
Big big game. So why did the, sorry no the, just Malay Mail allow three unknowns to write stories about the biggest game of the season?
Who, in god's green earth, is Jonathan Fernandez, Mohan Tambirajah and Robless?
What a waste of space and money.
Please get some top writers, like steve mcmahon, who used to write in malay mail a year ago.
not some unknown locals pretending to be epl experts.
What has happened to my Malay Mail.

Anonymous said...

Did MIC buy over Malay Mail??

Anonymous said...

why so racist ppp?
so what if indians control malay mail as long as they are the right people.
the malays had their chance but the paper has gone down the drain.
the question u need to ask is, are the ppl who have been picked to run the new malay mail are the right ones.
the answer could be a resounding NO

Anonymous said...

There's a new matcha heading the news desk..guess PPP is right after all.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

did you guys visit tepak bersulam blog?? where he didnt prcatice what he preach. where is the post comment culumn??? what the heck?? he suka tembak but dont want people to tembak him. what a character.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
The Blueberry said...

Wow what hot Malay Mail story! I'd rather you guys discuss that than the dismal state of Malaysian sports!

Anonymous said...

Correct! Correct!

Anonymous said...

not gonna oppose u lil feller..but everyone starts from some where....;-)

Anonymous said...

dear rizal,
how have you been? it's been a while since we met and sadly, your beloved Malay Mail is going from bad to worse.
your good friend Tony Francis now even has his golfing buddies writing for the paper.
soon one of his golfing buddies will be taking over the sports desk.
i agree with the person who said the malay mail tagline should not be your voice but rather tony francis's voice.
till we meet again ...

Anonymous said...

ya lah..we all know Tony F's golfing buddy is Satwant Singh..but can they afford him ar?

p/s: Satwant is also Rizal's best buddy..dun play play.

Anonymous said...

The staff are wondering if 'Mr Malay Mail' Yushaimi Yahaya will return from his week long cuti.
Is this an indication he will be leaving sooner than expected?
The talk in the newsroom is that former NST sports reporter Devaraj, who is now a copy editor, is being groomed for bigger things.
He may soon be asked to lead the newsdesk as Tony F (not sure if F stands for Francis, Friends or well, you know what F can stand for, right) knows the reporters are weak.
As for Monica, heard she only wants to return 2-3 times a week so she is unlikely to be production editor.
As a footnote, the power behind the scenes, Chandra has apparently given his blessings to Tony so expect all these to happen within a month or two at the most.

Anonymous said...

To Mr Tony Francis,

Many more staff will be leaving soon. Most are contemplating to resign en bloc by the end of this month.

Do not see this as a good excuse to bring in your people. Instead, this is a reflection of your WEAK administration and organisation abilities.

Many are leaving with heavy hearts and only you can change the environment for the benefit of all.

Thank you.

Minah Segamat

Anonymous said...

the paper is dying la

its so difficult to get the paper during lunch time - as it only arrives 2pm onwards!

even my vendor has stopped sending MM..

and their website equally dumb!

guess it's back to The Star ler...

Anonymous said...

Don't be jealous! I shamelessly celebrated my birthday with a crowd half my age at the pantry earlier today.

It feels good spending money on myself rather than paying the OT of my pathetic reporters!

Hahahahaha!

Anonymous said...

ur old frend now insists we sign ot before and after we do assignments ... what happens if emergency?

Anonymous said...

TF..are you lonesome tonite?

Where were the rest of your editors during the meeting with Wak Ibrahim today? Even your best buddies Frankie and Billy Boy weren't there.

Malu la!

kebenaran said...

jamu psikologi kunjungi : www.setansatan.blogspot.com jamu memang pahit