MALAYSIA: BJSS exponents cry foul

S. Selvam
May 15

DISILLUSIONED. That's the general feeling of the 17 national junior taekwondo exponents based at the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS) after the de-registration of the Malaysian Taekwondo Association (MTA).

Their feelings are shared by their parents, and with no end in sight to the revocation and bitter feud between the MTA office bearers and the Sports Commissioner's office, the parents are holding the office bearers responsible for the predicament.

"Our children don't know what is going to happen to them. Although the teachers at the school have said they can continue studying and training, anything can happen in the next few days," said a parent who declined to be named.

"If the children are asked to leave BJSS, how can they return to their old schools?

"It's going to be embarrassing to them. In fact, our children don't want to go back to their old schools because they fear being ridiculed by their friends. Everybody is disillusioned."

The MTA, the governing body for taekwondo (under the World Taekwondo Federation system) in the country, were de-registered on May 6 by Sports Commissioner Tan Sri Elyas Omar for failing to grant clubs voting rights and direct membership as directed by the latter.

Following the revocation, National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Mazlan Ahmad said the agency will have no choice but to withdraw their support to the various training programmes for taekwondo, including the junior programme in BJSS.

However, he emphasised that NSC will only withdraw their support if the MTA are still de-registered even after exhausting all avenues of appeal under the Sports Development Act, 1997.

Under the Act, the MTA can appeal to Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman Said within 30 days from the date of notification of the revocation.

After several years of trying, NSC and BJSS finally opened their doors to taekwondo with a batch of 17, nine boys and eight girls, exponents admitted to the school last March.

"As parents, we are disillusioned and angry as well. If our children are going to suffer, we have to do something about it," added the parent.

"In fact, we had several discussions and all agree that the guardians of the sport should be held responsible."

Ironically, the 17 exponents are on Pangkor Island undergoing a motivation camp organised by NSC.

But it looks like years of hard work are going to go to waste if the incidents over the past few months are not settled soon.

Source http://www.nst.com.my