Getting sued

What do you do when you get calls saying you will be sued? You press the panic button, of course!

I learnt a big lesson when I wrote a story on sex-for-hire for footballers posted on the FA of Malaysia website for the Malay Mail in 2000. Never mention names on stories that carry serious allegations of misdemeanor.

This story was carried by the Malay Mail in March 2000.

IT was perhaps inevitable. While the national soccer team are in shambles, FA of Malaysia (FAM) will now have to grapple with Internet surfers who have polluted their official website with offers for sex services.

Log on to www.fam.org.my and click the Guestbook icon for feedback from the fans.

Built to enable the fans to engage in intellectual discourse or exchanging views, two, however, have answered to the call of e-commerce by making the site as an avenue to advertise sex, aimed specifically at footballers.

One surfer who identified herself as #####  from Malacca, even went to the extent of implicating one former national striker, saying that he was her regular customer. Another who identified herself as  #### offered sex services, with her boyfriend as the contact person (e-mail address was furnished).

The two, apparently, submitted the so-called feedback on March 7 just before midnight.

I thought the story was sensational enough and warranted the Page 1. But it turned out the two girls really existed and they were victims of pranksters. The then Malay Mail editor (Datuk) Fauzi Omar called me to his office explaining the situation.

Since the story had gone through the normal screening process via the sports editor, the chief sub and the editor himself before seeing print, I was not liable for it. Our mistake was to publish the two names. Out of guilt, I tried to speak to the two girls personally to offer my sincere apologies. Subsequently the matter was settled out of court. But you can imagine the sleepless nights I had to go through for weeks and months.

Getting sued, receiving letters of demand and letters that are thinly-veiled threats have become an occupational hazard for a journalist. But I had always felt the sportswriting fraternity and those related to them have a greater degree of tolerance towards criticism, sporting enough to take everything by their stride and believe in freedom of expression. Sportswriters in general enjoy greater liberties to cross swords with the powers-that-be as long as there is no malicious intent.

In this respect, I offer my former Malay Mail colleague Haresh Deol my deepest sympathies.

Haresh is being sued by a lawyer representing the National Sports Council (NSC) for reproducing two articles that had already been published by two newspapers.

Ex Malay Mail chieftain Rocky has blogged about it here

Ex Malay Mail sports editor Tony Mariadass shares his thoughts here

And I feel disgusted that Government servants who are supposed to serve us, the rakyat, the fans, the NGOs, the industry, have the time to send letters of demand to journalists.

Since the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) have issued a statement and clearly making a stand for the authorities not to harass sports journos, the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM) is expected to follow suit.

In the interim, I am also expecting the Sports Minister to advise his underlings!

Syabas Zulfahmi, Hafizh...jom Visit Spain

Syabas kita ucapkan kepada dua mat motor yang mengangkat nama negara di Litar Sepang minggu lalu. Birthday boy Zulfahmi Khairuddin (Moto 3) dan Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah (Moto 2) cipta nama memanaskan trek yang dibasahi hujan rahmat , bersaksikan 70,000 penonton sambil Sepang mengajak audiens dari semua ceruk dunia (kalau ikut statistik 300 juta setiap perlumbaan) untuk Visit Spain.

   

Time code 3:20 minit ke atas

Yang kiri dan kanan tu sekadar menumpang glamour yang tengah - Zulfahmi Khairuddin. Untunglah Akbar Sahari hos Kafe Sukan membuat pakej khas dari London bertajuk Deruman Zulfahmi tahun lalu. Surat pembaca dalam akhbar The Star http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/10/24/focus/12217041&sec=

Seminggu sebelum perlumbaan, Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah tampil dalam Kafe Sukan janji menyelitkan diri dalam kelompok 10 pelumba teratas dalam Moto 2. 

Tahniah kepada semua yang terbabit. Lepas ini jom kita pergi Sepanyol beramai-ramai...http://rizalhashim.blogspot.com/2012/04/2012-malaysian-motogp-visit-spain.html

LIMBC 2012 - Day 1

Covering Gianni Bugno and Andrea Tafi at the 1997 Le Tour de Langkawi for the Malay Mail was a memorable experience. I got to visit my cousin who was a chef at the Berjaya Resort in Langkawi, enjoying a meal on board C130 Hercules as the LTDL juggernaut crossed the South China Seas and putting on weight following a feeding frenzy as a member of the pampered Press.

But for sheer adrenaline-pumping action-cum-adventure around nature, mountain bike is THE sport. Unlike their more glamorous road cousins, MTBers have to negotiate courses where the terrain and surface are constantly changing from earth, grass, stones, tree roots to streams and rivers. Definitely not a sport for the faint-hearted.

The recently concluded Langkawi International Mountain Bike Challenge was a prescription for fun and adventure surrounded by nature. For the locals, there was the jamboree to look forward to.

As opposed to the jamboree being held on the last day in 2011, the fun ride or officially known as the LIMBC Tradewinds Jamboree 2012 was made the prelude to this year's race. Among the notable participants were actor Esma Danial and entertainer Ezlynn, known for her Hi Hi Bye Bye hit song. The main prize in the lucky draw that followed the race was a brand new Proton Persona 1.6.

The start at Lagenda Park

Tradewinds Corp Bhd, a platinum sponsor for LIMBC 2012

Ezlynn (second from right) an attraction at the start line. She intends to compete in the jamboree on an annual basis

Shapari Sulong from Kuala Ketil drives home the Proton Persona 1.6

Prizes were given away by LIMBC honorary patron, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, LADA chief executive Tan Sri Khalid Ramli and Tradewinds Corporation Berhad Group COO Arief Nasran Abdul Wahab and organiser Datuk Malik Mydin. Read here

Kelebihan buat Kelantan

Aku tidak akan menyaksikan final Era Piala Malaysia di Stadium Shah Alam, malam esok atas tuntutan tugas di Langkawi. Tapi tentu sekali aku akan berusaha menonton perhitungan itu menerusi kaca televisyen.

Sekalipun Utusan Malaysia kata ada masalah agihan tiket di Kota Bharu berasaskan laporan ini, Shah Alam akan dibanjiri warga Kelantan apalagi Ahad cuti umum di semua jajahan negeri tanah rendah sekebun bunga.

ATM memang dari awal dianggap pasukan yang terlalu kuat untuk bermain dalam Liga Perdana.

Nasib B. Sathianathan, atau nama sebenarnya Satiananthan Bhaskaran, nampaknya jauh lebih bersinar daripada pengalamannya selaku jurulatih kebangsaan. Gelaran Pestabola Merdeka 2007 digapainya yang mendorong Sultan Ahmad Shah melantik Sathia selaku jurulatih pasukan senior dalam bilik persalinan di   Stadium Shah Alam, tanggal 29 Ogos 2007. Namun skuad kendaliannya bungkam di luar Kuala Lumpur. Tewas pada pusingan pertama Piala AFF 2008 dan gagal ke pusingan kedua Sukan SEA di Korat pada 2007 menyebabkan Sathia dianggap gagal selaku jurulatih kebangsaan. Tidak hairanlah dia ditunjuk jalan keluar selepas menuturkan kata-kata "M-League is not football".

Membantu kesebelasan Bawah 23 negara pada malam gemilang Pestabola ketika itu Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Daudsu Jamaluddin dan Aidil Zafuan serta Zaquan Adha Abdul Radzak. Mereka kembali menjejakkan kaki ke stadium yang sama dalam suasana yang cukup berbeza. Dalam skuad Piala AFF pula ada Hairuddin Omar dan S. Subramaniam, dua individu yang harus bersaing sengit malam esok.

Tentu kalian kenal baju hitam putih sebelah aku kan...Sathia menjadi penolong jurulatih yang setia buat Allan Harris..Sathialah yang menjadi jambatan di antara Allan dengan pemain dan tukang bikin laporan kerana Allan kurang pandai menyediakan laporan

Sathia menyenaraikan Marlon Alex James bekas bintang Kedah selaku hujung tombak, dibantu Hai-O manakala Bruno Martelotto, kunci kekuatan Selangor MPPJ yang menjulang Piala Malaysia pada 2003, menjana jentera tengah. Bayangkan ATM dianggotai beberapa pemain yang pernah menjulang piala kebanggaan negara.

ATM mara ke final pada 1966 ketika Piala HMS Malaya dipertandingkan buat kali terakhir. Jaringan penalti pada minit ke-55 oleh pemain pertahanan, Abdullah Nordin, membolehkan Selangor muncul juara buat kali ke-12 mengalahkan Tentera, 1-0 bersaksikan hanya 12,000 penonton di Stadium Merdeka. Antara yang tewas Nordin Jan dan Dali Omar dalam kesebelasan ATM.

Yang sentimental mahu ATM menang. Yang neutral macam aku tidak kisah siapa menang, asalkan permainan yang dipamerkan mesti bermutu tinggi sejajar dengan standard Piala Malaysia.

Sekalipun Mohammed Ghaddar dan Nor Farhan Muhammad digantung, Kelantan ada kepantasan, pengalaman dan kepakaran mencium peluang. Aku rasa Indra Putra Mahayuddin akan berfungsi sebagai penyerang di sisi Matyo.

Walaupun Sathia tahu luar dalam dan kelemahan kekuatan The Red Warriors setelah membawa pasukan itu menjulang piala pada 2010, sedikit kelebihan buat Kelantan...yang akan menjulang kejuaraan treble sesudah mendakap kejuaraan Liga Super dan menjulang Piala FA! Bojan Hodak yang dulu sekadar pengendali program realiti MyTeam barangkali ada rezeki menjadikan kejuaraan Piala Malaysia satu realiti.

Jangan lupa siaran langsung

Kalau nak tengok Ray era.fm jadi penjaga gol...hah, dipersilakan

Buat Man dan Dila...

Terlalu sibuk dengan urusan duniawi sehingga aku lewat mengucapkan selamat berangkat kepada adikku Man dan isterinya Dila. Kalian akan menempuh perjalanan paling Agung.

Allah SWT dengan limpah Rahmatnya telah menjemput kalian, aku dan keluarga berdoa agar Ibadah Haji Man dan Dila diterima Allah dan agar mendapat Haji yang Mabrur ....

Beruntunglah kalian mendapat jemputan paling agung ke Tanah Suci ketika belumpun berusia 40 tahun.

Aku masih ingat lagi ketika kali pertama menjejakkan kaki ke Tanah Suci pada 1988. Selain belajar menunai ibadah Umrah, aku ada dua kenangan yang mencuit hati. Pertama dalam perjalanan ke Masjidil Haram dari tempat penginapan kami, aku ditahan polis.

Tiada dokumen pengenalan, maklumlah sekadar bawa riyal yang tak seberapa. Nyaris aku diangkut masuk ke dalam van kerana mereka sangka aku Bangla datang tanpa izin ke Makkah. Mujur Man menyusul di belakang tidak lama kemudian, menjelaskan keadaan dalam Bahasa Arab...balik ke kamar, aku, arwah Mak dan Ayah gelak mendengar insiden itu...aku cakap kalau tidak Mak dan Ayah cari Riz dekat lokap!

Man ajar aku ikat serban, maklumlah dia belajar sekolah agama...satu keputusan arwah Ayah yang sangat tepat dan berwawasan kerana Man mengimamkan solat jenazah mengiringi perjalanan terakhir Ayah pada 20 Syaaban 1418

Saat-saat menjelang remaja satu kenangan indah. Man lebih cenderung belajar, sopan berbanding aku pulak kaki main bola, bersukan dan suka melukis serta kaki enjoy

Di rumah Atok di Kluang, di kala kami masih comel-comel belaka

Dedaun masa memastikan kecomelan kami sudah ditelan zaman. Gambar kenangan pada malam Man dan Dila nak berangkat Rabu lalu

Aku juga mendapat satu pengajaran besar di sana. Man ada masalah cagu di kakinya, dan aku mengeluarkan kata-kata macam geli lah, tidak lama kemudian siku aku bernanah...menyukarkan aku menyalin baju, mengambil wudhu' dan mengakibatkan aku kurang selesa sepanjang Umrah itu...tanda Allah mengirim mesej agar jaga mulut di Tanah Suci.

Man dan Dila menerima pengesahan buat Haji tahun lalu tetapi disebabkan mereka berada di Dubai, mereka terpaksa menolak.

Aku sekadar menawarkan opsyen kepada Man jika tiada pilihan lain - aku dan Intan jaga dua anaknya dengan pembantu rumah mereka sekali, maklumlah kami tiada pembantu rumah...atau kami jagakan kereta...

Kepada Man dan Dila, usah lupa panjatkan doa buat kami sekeluarga...juga kepada saudara-mara, jiran dan rakan taulan yang menunaikan Rukun Islam kelima, semoga mendapat Haji Mabrur dan diberkati perjalanan pergi dan pulang.

Bagi yang meraikan Zulhijjah di tanah air, semoga berpuasa meraikan bakal Haji di Tanah Suci. Jika ada kemampuan, tunailah ibadah korban.

Imbas semula kembara jalanan Pak Mat di sini dan sini.

Man, pssst, sesekali Bg Is pinjam kereta bawak  Kak Intan round-round eh?

Sportinglah sikit...

Aku ingin merakamkan rasa kecewa amat sangat selepas dimaklumkan bahawa beberapa individu termasuk seorang pegawai tertinggi Majlis Olimpik Malaysia (MOM), seorang wartawan dan sebuah akhbar diberi surat tuntutan oleh Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) berhubung

Baca Malay Mail to be sued, Suing Spree dan NSC sues Mesuma

Beberapa persoalan berlegar dalam benak aku.

1. Bukankah MSN terbabit dalam satu kes saman di mahkamah? Perlu lagi kes lain?

2. Apakah tindakan mengirim surat tuntutan itu mendapat persetujuan Lembaga Pengurusan MSN yang dipengerusikan oleh Menteri Belia dan Sukan?

3. Bagaimana pula pendapat dua wakil MOM dan presiden Persatuan Penulis-penulis Sukan Malaysia (SAM) yang menganggotai Lembaga Pengurusan MSN?

4. Di saat Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek mahu dilihat lebih terbuka dan telus sehingga memohon maaf atas kegagalan program Road to London, tindakan MSN boleh ditafsir sebagai tunjuk kuat dan berlawanan dengan semangat kesukanan yang tinggi.

5. Pegawai, jurulatih, akhbar dan wartawan adalah stakeholders dalam arena sukan. Mereka juga warga Malaysia...mereka juga rakyat negara ini yang didendangkan dengan slogan Janji Ditepati, Rakyat Didahulukan...

6. Apakah MSN pantang ditegur?

Sekadar berkongsi pengalaman sepanjang 20 tahun membuat liputan MSN...

Ketua Pengarah MSN dari 1993 hingga 2005, Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad, diasak dengan pelbagai kontroversi, isu dan tuduhan sepanjang tempoh itu.

Antaranya pendedahan muka depan akhbar The Malay Mail pada 1995.

"THE Olympic Council of Malaysia, shocked at the allegation that the National Sports Council spent millions on substandard athletics equipment, has asked for a probe into the possibility of shady deals.

"I certainly hope that there is no hanky-panky involved. However, the NSC must check it out. There must be no cover-up," he said. Sieh was responding to The Malay Mail report quoting officials and coaches in charge of NSC's 1998 Commonwealth Games centres of excellence that they had been provided with substandard equipment hazardous to their athletes.

The officials and coaches claimed that the equipment not only failed International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) specifications but are also a danger to the athletes. The hurdles, for instance, are so fragile that if it snaps, it can hurt the athlete. High jump bars made of cheap material bend easily, discuses disintegrate after a few throws, and stopwatches give inaccurate timings."

"The National Sports Council (NSC) should show that they have got nothing to hide instead of preventing their coaches from speaking to the Malaysian public.

Athletics coach Mohamed Musa Nor Mohamed yesterday spoke out on the matter and called on the NSC to grant "freedom of speech" to their workers.

He wants the NSC to prove that there are no skeletons in the closet by allowing coaches to make Press statements.

The Malaysian AAU development chairman said: "If they have nothing to hide, why are coaches hired by NSC not allowed to issue Press statements?" The coach from Pahang pointed out that proof of NSC's "information blackout" was contained in their contracts with coaches which forbid the latter from issuing Press statements.

"If they are sincere and interested in sports development, they will allow coaches to speak to the Press. Constructive criticism will help highlight the problems faced by coaches and athletes.

"What are they scared of?" Musa, who recently called for the resignation of NSC's foreign coaches at the Kajang athletics centre of exellence, has been issued a show cause letter by NSC for making several Press reports."

Laporan itu mengakibatkan MSN disiasat Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR). Akhirnya nama MSN dibersihkan. Peliknya Mazlan tidak mengambil sebarang tindakan undang-undang pun.Selama 12 tahun bukan sedikit komentar keras, sindiran tajam dan perbezaan pendapat yang dilemparkan ke arah MSN dan Mazlan tetapi peliknya paling teruk pun hanya ancaman kepada wartawan tidak boleh masuk ke kawasan MSN, seperti yang pernah disuarakan terhadap aku!

Sekali lagi peminat, pegawai, jurulatih, wartawan dan ibu bapa - kita harus ingatkan pemegang jawatan sama ada badan bukan kerajaan atau agensi kerajaan agar berani dilambung ombak jika sudah berumah di tepi pantai. Jika tidak bolehlah pilih duduk di tengah pekan...

Bagi semua pemimpin sukan, cubalah contohi semangat generasi terdahulu seperti Allahyarham Tan Sri Hamzah Abu Samah, King Ghaz...sportinglah sikit...

Risau juga nanti MSN digelar Majlis Saman Negara...

Satu permintaan kepada Ahmad Shabery, dulu Datuk Seri kata boleh arahkan pegawai muncul dalam program kendalian seorang blogger Dengan Izin di Astro Arena 801...Jadi? Janji Ditepati!

Nota kaki:

Kalau saman penulis artikel warkah terbuka buat Rizal Hashim, berapa agaknya jumlah ganti rugi? Tapi apabila bertemu tahun lalu, aku mengambil gambar di bawah bersama Tepak Bersulam. Dia tahu juga banyak rahsia MSN hehehe. Apabila kita berperang (jenis yang bukan hunus senjata), cedera dan luka sebahagian daripada cabarannya!

Era Piala Malaysia, Sinar retro Pestabola la...

Kalau stesen radio Era diletakkan sebagai penaja Piala Malaysia, Sinar wajar sekali dijadikan wadah menghidupkan semula Pestabola Merdeka...seperti yang ku bisikkan kepada penerbit kanan Astro Arena, Slamet Sazly Yakub.

Congratulations Sharon

Almost a month back, Sharon Wee was among three women honoured by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). Read here

Never too late to extend my warmest felicitation to Sharon, one of few athletes to make the transition from athlete to commentator/presenter with consummate ease! Squash was never my beat since it was the domain of Fariq Rahman in the Malay Mail. It is indeed now a pleasure to be a colleague of Sharon at Astro Arena 801. Of course we are backing squash's bid to be included in the Olympic Games!