KUALA LUMPUR: The ongoing feud between the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and Sports Commissioner Suhardi Alias must be resolved quickly before it tarnishes the reputation of Malaysian sports.
That is the view of sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli when asked to comment on the issue.
Pekan said he believes the whole issue should be resolved through discussion and negotiation between the two parties.
"I feel that there could have been some miscommunication between the two parties," said Pekan when contacted today.
"This issue should not be prolonged because it can shed a negative light on Malaysian sports. Nobody wins when things like this happen. Sports organisations and government agencies should be working together and must respect one another.
"If there are weaknesses or issues, then the parties involved should sit down and discuss them together to find a solution. Neither party should feel that they are superior or have stronger backing than the other. This is an unhealthy phenomenon we need to avoid."
OCM secretary-general Datuk Nazifuddin Najib today issued a statement urging Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh to intervene.
This was in reaction to a statement made by Suhardi on Saturday, in which he said OCM are not above the law and must abide by the Sports Development Act 1997 (Act 576).
Suhardi also stated that the two national sports associations headed by OCM president Tan Sri Norza Zakaria (BA of Malaysia) and deputy president Datuk Hamidin Amin (FA of Malaysia) had both failed to achieve their targets at the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May
The feud between OCM and Suhardi began last week when a leaked audio clip emerged. On it, he was heard threatening to deregister OCM, drawing parallels between them and the Israeli government. The clip was a short excerpt from a closed meeting with two e-sport groups on Nov 14.
Hamidin subsequently issued a statement on Saturday, via OCM, and urged Suhardi to apologise for his remarks.
Suhardi, however, claimed that his remarks regarding OCM were taken out of context and lodged a police report to hold those who spread the clip accountable for causing distress within the sporting community.
It is believed that his comments were made in jest to calm down the two e-sport parties during the meeting.