Perginya Rahim King

Datuk Rahim Dahalan, bekas komando dan jurulatih Biro Tatanegara (BTN) yang bukan saja rapat dengan orang kenamaan tetapi juga atlet dan keluarga sukan negara, meninggal dunia di Kluang, petang tadi.

Aku ada beberapa kenangan manis dengan Allahyarham sepanjang menjadi wartawan di Berita Harian dan the Malay Mail.

Bila ada kesempatan kami kerap berbincang politik dan isu dalam negara. Itu sebahagian tugasnya melayan kerenah wartawan yang membuat liputan kem motivasinya menjelang pelbagai temasya sukan.

Tapi memang Allahyarham tidak boleh lupa kejadian kami terperangkap dalam bilik persalinan di Istora Senayan pada malam final Piala Thomas 1994. Baca Jakarta oh Jakarta.

Tak silap aku kali terakhir kami bersua muka pada Anugerah Sukan Negara pada April 2010. Baca di sini. Ketika Allahyarham mengetuai ekspedisi payung terjun ke Kutub Utara, aku mengucapkan selamat maju jaya kepadanya.

Ketika Allahyarham menjadi penghulu kem latihan pusat menjelang Sukan SEA di Jakarta pada 1997, dia menyatakan kebosanan terhadap segelintir pemimpin sukan.

Kata-katanya kuterjemahkan dalam bentuk sebuah artikel untuk the Malay Mail, seperti di bawah.

IS there double-standard being practised at the national camp in Bangi or has everything been overruled?


Some athletes were seen leaving the camp for training when the rules clearly say that no members of the contingent are to go out of the Universiti Tenaga Nasional (Uniten) or Ikram vicinity once they have checked in on Oct 4.


Not even for training. The training facilities are all provided for within the area. Well, yesterday, out of the 400-odd that had checked in, only 200 athletes turned up for the motivational session at the auditorium.


The rest were either out training or could not care less. But camp commandant Rahim Dahalan did not blame the athletes. Rather he lambasted the officials for breaking the rule.


"It has been agreed that upon their check-in in Bangi, none of the athletes are to train outside. Sadly this simple but vital ruling has been broken. Whatever we have planned and arranged sometimes gets overruled by the bosses.


"While the officials are not showing enthusiasm and commitment, I don't blame the athletes. There are no bad athletes, what we have are bad officials. These officials have been spoiling the sports fraternity and, as such, should be given the boot.


"They are not committed. They are in it because they want publicity for themselves. They have their self-interest at heart."


If given a choice, Rahim wouldn't want to be involved with the centralised national training. In fact, he is suggesting to the National Sports Council (NSC) to do away with the camp aimed at fostering better relations and integration ahead of certain events such as SEA Games and Asian Games.


Irked by the attitude of certain officials, Rahim, who was a major figure in the highly successful 1989 and 1993 national training and motivational camp, wants to see a change soon.


"If this is how the officials persist, I am going to suggest to NSC to stop this nonsense and let us get on with our lives. "They only want the glamour associated with the sports without any noble intention of helping out the associations or national bodies."


Tidak lupa juga kata-katanya beberapa hari sebelum Anwar Ibrahim dipecat pada 2 September 1998. Allahyarham mengenyit matanya kepada aku ketika mengiringi Anwar pulang daripada melawat kem latihan di Bangi menjelang pembukaan Sukan Komanwel 1998. Tebal jiwa patriotiknya, kental semangat kenegaraannya. Moga rohnya ditempatkan di kalangan para solehin. Al-Fatihah buat Rahim Dahalan.