KUALA LUMPUR — Local sports analyst Datuk Pekan Ramli has urged the Education Ministry to follow through on its promises, warning that talk of grassroots sports reform must not become yet another hollow pledge or political soundbite.
He was responding to a recent statement by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, who agreed with former Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary-general Datuk Nazifuddin Najib on the urgent need to overhaul Malaysia’s grassroots sports system.
“Many sports fans, media members, former athletes and officials have raised these issues for years, but they’ve often been ignored,” Pekan told Scoop.
“School sports are still stuck in a traditional mould — conducted only at certain times or seasons, often just to fill up a calendar. It’s a template approach, not a developmental one.”
While Nazifuddin’s comments have brought renewed attention to the matter, Pekan stressed that the real test lies in whether Fadhlina’s ministry takes meaningful action.
“Now that this policy reform idea has come from the former OCM secretary-general and has received a public response from the education minister, it carries more weight. But that’s not enough — we need to see real movement.
“Let’s not allow it to become another case of ‘cakap tak serupa bikin’ — saying the right things for the sake of cheap publicity. Reform must happen now. Set clear targets, like producing world-class and Olympic-level athletes through schools, as China has done.”
Pekan, a senior lecturer at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), said momentum must be turned into action before the conversation loses steam.
“This is an opportunity to change the narrative — but the responsibility lies with the Education Ministry to lead the way.”
His comments follow Nazifuddin’s criticism of the country’s outdated grassroots sports structure and an over-reliance on elite institutions such as the National Sports Council (NSC) and national sports schools.
Nazifuddin has instead called for a unified blueprint that spans ministries.
Fadhlina, speaking after the MOE-MSSM-Milo Sports Awards on Tuesday, echoed his views and promised to strengthen grassroots sports through collaboration and structural improvements.
Pekan, however, warned that Malaysians have heard such promises before — and are now looking for proof, not platitudes. — May 1, 2025