Focus on Singaporeans and not self-serving interests please

by Serene Ong

While there has been speculation that Jose Raymond, former vice-president of partnership at Singapore Swimming Association, would not be chosen to contest again as a result of his vocal outbursts against Sport Singapore in recent months, I deeply respect his decision to focus on his political career and not contest the Singapore Swimming Association's upcoming election.

Make no mistake: politics and sports should never mix. Otherwise, the outcome is disastrous. Football is one good example. After years of People's Action Party (PAP) politicians involvement in football, where are we now? The Lions are closer to Rangoon Road than Russia where the world's top elites are gathering in 2 weeks time.

While we welcome Fifa's insistence on non-government interference in sport, it's clear there are loopholes which have been exploited by politicians.

During the campaigning for the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) elections last year, Member of Parliament Edwin Tong was nowhere to be seen even though he was listed as a Vice Presidential candidate. Just do a quick google search and you will find zero mention of Tong during the campaign.

That's very strange because if we do another simple online check, you will notice that Tong was always present at high profile events such as the appointments of Michel Sablon  (April 2015) and Fandi Ahmad (Oct 2016). In fact, Tong again headlined the recent announcement where Fandi was made the new national coach. So why wasn't Tong visible during the FAS elections? 

The answer is simple. He did not want to violate any Fifa regulations through his position as a politician.

Also, while Tong is a VP, he seems to be calling the shots and not the President Lim Kia Tong who is not a politician. Just look at the seating arrangement where they appointed Fandi as the new national coach last week. Shouldn't the President and the key attention of the day, Fandi, be in the centre instead of a VP?

So what have we achieved as a result of having politicians in the FAS Council? Forget about the so called glory of Tiger Cup victories in the 2000s. That's Southeast-Asia level. Where are we now at the Asian level?

As a politician involved in sports, has Tong even spoken up for football or sports in Parliament? Not at all. In fact, in April 2018, a TODAY report named Tong as one of the 3 Mps who spoke the least in Parliament!

So is it a case of football benefiting from the presence of politicians serving as Exco members or is it more of a case of these politicians benefiting from their positions on board the council of the number 1 sport in Singapore? It has to be the latter.

If they really care for the sports community, why did it take FAS almost a week after the death of former player Nur Alam Shah to declare that they would support his family through the donation of gate receipts from the Warriors vs Young Lions match?

This sad story went viral the moment it was published last weekend and the family had since received many donations from ordinary folks like you and me. Where were the politicians cum sports office holders until their announcement made yesterday? And how much are they expecting to raise from 1 SLeague game?

Credit to Jose Raymond for having the guts and integrity to do what is right – for the constituents and sports.  When will the ruling party politicians start to focus on the people in the heartlands and not on positions which will give them the limelight through rubbing shoulders with "stars" like Fandi or Joseph Schooling?

Or is it a way to achieve some personal gratification or fulfilment of self-ego?

A politician doesn't need to be an Exco member to promote and support sports. Likewise, an exco member need not aspire to be a politician if he only wants to do good for sports.

It's all about having the passion and having a heart at the right place. Jose Raymond is a good example and Singapore needs more Jose Raymonds, Lina Chiams etc who are really for the people and with the people.

I hope the next Prime Minister will make it a rule that his MPs should not serve in positions which do little good, or none at all, to the community at large. Sports is one sector which really has no place for politicians. Why don't they spend more time bringing up key matters in Parliament? That will leave a real lasting legacy for any MP instead of the number of eye-catching appearances at high profile events.

But well, to each of his own. Constituents will be the judge.

This entry was posted in Opinion.

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