A STADIUM WITHOUT A ROOF

“Stadium may not have a roof” says Trengganu MB Datuk Ahmad Said; referring to the collapse roof of the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin stadium that was built for SUKMA a few years ago.

If I were to believe in what Ahmad Said has said, then I would say that the stadium should be renamed ‘Stadium Ahmad Said’, or ‘Staduim Idris Jusoh’; the latter is the preferred name because it was built during his tenure as the MB. I feel a stadium without a roof in this era of the 21st Century does not deserve to be named after the Sultan, who is also presently the King of this country. I would just like to ask Ahmad Said if this is his way of honouring his Sultan by using his name to a stadium without a roof?

You know Ahmad Said, stadiums without a roof were good during the colonial era. Remember the TPCA stadium sited in proximity to Kg. Baru, Kuala Lumpur? It was built without a roof, but at the time it was an architectural marvel of the day, and I remembered watching the hockey match between Malaya and India played at the stadium, and which Malaya won. I suppose a roof stadium wasn’t necessary then because the surrounding area was cool, unlike today.

I just wonder how will the Sultan and the ADUNs be witnessing an event during the sweltering noon Trengganu heat? Will the state Government Issue umbrellas, or pitch a tent?

What I find amusing in Ahmad Said’s statement is that there is no mention about who is actually at fault over the stadium’s failure. Was it a design failure or was there cost cutting that eventually resulted in shoddy construction work? Or was there a complete failure in the overall management and supervision of the construction itself? There must be some fault somewhere; otherwise the roof could not have collapsed.

Please Ahmad Said, give the rakyat of Trengganu a reasonable answer. And isn’t Trengganu rich enough to reconstruct a new roof? Where has all the ‘wang ehsan’ disappeared? When your government could built an expensive Crystal Mosque (am told that it is too difficult for the public to perform prayers there), what is a few million of ‘wang ehsan’ for a new roof.

I do not know what Sultan Mizan will have to say to your proposal, but I think he will not be too happy.

CRUSADE AGAINST CORRUPTION

RM270 MILLION STADIUM ROOF COLLAPSES – AN ACT OF GOD?

Can one imagine what would have happened if the Kuala Trengganu newly built stadium roof collapses at a time when there were thousands of people watching a football match, and worse still, if the Sultan of the state was there amongst the crown? What explanation can the Trengganu government (or was it the Idris Jusoh government) now give, to absorb themselves of any blame? Or will they now look around to find who should shoulder all the blame? Will it be Ahmad Said, Patrick Lim or Idris Jusoh? Someone has to shoulder the blame, and who could that be?

I am quite sure the blame game has started, and it will be interesting to see how the state government will react, and what will the verdict be. RM 270 million was all is takes to built the stadium that was officially opened by the Sultan of Trengganu on May 10 last year, and it will take another RM270 million of public fund to reconstruct the damaged stadium, or will the entire stadium be raise to the ground? Who really cares about spending public fund and the wastage of funds. After all the Trengganu state is cash rich with petroleum royalty paid into its coffer by Petronas, so they say.

Have we not seen how the state has been spending its new found wealth over the last few years under the previous government. Such lavishness and extravagance in building monuments like the Crystal Mosque, organizing the Monsoon Cup with lush parties to entertain the participants and the rich and famous, while the poor people of Trengganu are left out of these festivities that does not bring any benefit to the Trengganu people.

Now we hear of an attempt by the pro-Idris Jusoh group assemblymen to vote out MB Ahmad Said. There must be something seriously wrong with Ahmad Said that warrants such an attempt. Is it because the pro-Idris Jusoh are been left out dry because they no longer have access to the once lavishness and extravagance of the pervious government. I believe it is all about money and power; not about wanting to serve the down trodden Trengganu people.

Now back to the collapse stadium. Deputy PM Muhyiddin Yasin has said that it is now left to the state government to act, thus absorbing any blame on the Federal Government. And certainly Muhyiddin does not want the state government to conclude in their investigations by saying that the incident is purely an act of God.


CRUSADE AGAINSDT CORRUPTION