Everyone wants a piece of the winner!

I was by chance having a tea-break at my Nonya restron in Subang Jaya when the highlights of the current Commonwealth Games were telecast. It was our Nicol David fighting Shelly Kitchen for the bornze medal and Nicol was 2-1 down. Just as Kitchen closed the match with a vitory hit, she rushed into the many arms of officials like coaches, and relative (?) -- jumping in jubilation.

BUT NICOL DAVID WAS LEFT BOWING HER HEAD ALL FORLORN&ALONE.
(The Star had one shot on page 1 this dark, billowy moUrn...)
The report, truncated:

Error-free Kitchen denies top seed Nicol of a bronze medal

WORLD number one and top seed Nicol David came to Melbourne with the hope of living up to her top billing but she will not have a medal from the women’s singles squash competition.

In the playoff for the bronze medal at the National Squash and Aquatics Centre in Albert Park yesterday, the 22-year-old Nicol was beaten 9-5, 6-9, 5-9, 2-9 by Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand in 47 minutes.

It was Nicol’s first defeat in three years by the Kiwi world number 15. The previous day, Nicol was beaten by Natalie Grinham in the semi-finals and the defeat ended her 14-month unbeaten run against the Australian.

My question is: At her moment of greatest emotional need, Where are the Malaysian officials, like her coach/es?

IMHO, Malaysia has never grown up after 49 years of Independence in many spheres of human endeavour.
We only worship success. We don't treasure the spirit and hard labour of endeavour.

Hey, Nicol travelled a long, jong journey from her teens to emerge a World Squah Champion after some 10 years of constant, consistent struggles against many odds, remember?
Being left all alomne because of an occasional stumble, where's the tru sportmanship and support?

One word comes to mind: PATHETIC. The state of affairs in many spheres of OFFICIALdom.
These high officials will descend in swarms -- like bees -- on a Malaysia sportsman/woman's hour of victory and triumph.
One fall, and these same "bees"waiting in the wings will descend before the last bell is rung like rats into the (whatelse?) ratty holes.

Is there some connection or parallel lesson with the following news clips -- one old, and one new? You -- my discerning EsteemedReaders, decide...

Reprsing from post of Saturday March 18, 2006
Desi has asked: Is this another Nutgift-X or NutCase? You decide!

Umno Youth to act as mentors

SEREMBAN: Umno Youth will act as mentors to bright Malay students, to help them excel further in their studies and in their career.
“We want to help deserving Malay students pursue their ambition,” its education bureau chairman Ahmad Ikmal Ismail said.
“Hopefully, someday when they have succeeded they will help others.”
Umno Youth will also help deserving students who did well in their SPM examination get scholarships, he told reporters after visiting Muhammad Izwan Zulkifli at his home in Seremban 2 here yesterday.
Muhammad Izwan emerged as the top SPM scorer at SMK Keat Hwa, a well-known Chinese secondary school in Kedah that regularly produces top SPM and STPM students. He scored 11 1As, making him the first Malay boy to earn such an honour at the school.
The eldest of four siblings said he enrolled at the school after scoring 8 As in his PMR examination at Kolej Sultan Abdul Hamid in Alor Star. “I had always been amazed at how Chinese students always did well in their exams, so I enrolled at SMK Keat Hwa,” he said.
“The secret of their success is in their commitment. My classmates did not waste time in empty conversation. That alone sets them apart.”

DESIDERATA:
Before I started Journalism fulltime, I taught Science in a secondary school for about two hAPpy years.
My experience tells me the performing students (top of the leading Science-streamed class, out of maybe 5 to 10 classes in the same form..., depending on the size and popularity of the School) DON'T NEED ANY EXTRA HELP!
You know why?
They already would spend some fixed minimum number of hours doing post-schooling work, with usually of course level-headed parents/guardians. Also, most of tem excel in extra-curricular activities, because they know what "balance" is in daily, normal healthy life.
Hey, it's the children from the disadvantaged or less-privileged sectins of the community who need our assistance the most. Kids from the kampong and town squatters, still using ol lamps and fire-wood for a fire. Trudging barefoot for 10km everyday to school, remember?

Don't you thnk UMNO Youth or any other well-meaning samartitans would select the "poor-performers" - laggards-lah - to give them help, on why I have been promoting here all the time on CivilIssues, on a NEEDS BASIS!
What mentorship can UMNO Youth offer to secondary studens, but corrupt their idealistic minds? Political propaganda-ganda wang anda?
If their MCA youth counterparts get in the act, you know what would hAPpen?
"Eat, Drink and Be Merry" will lead the performing students to the Karake joints and then they have to make emergency calls at nght, or evn afternoon -- very hot lah, need some Air-CON at the lounge/parlour! -- to some Datuk, ton/tonne to "bail us" out...!
Mercy, if it's not a Nutcase, it reminds Desi of the saying (but this is too deep for UMNO/MCA Youth minds...)"

"The pathwy to hell is paved with many good intentons."

From page N6, The Star:

One million young addicts?

Najib doubts so many are into drugs

KUALA LUMPUR: One million youths addicted to drugs? Where do they come from? asked Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
“Maybe there are some who have not yet been detected, but I am sure the number does not reach one million,” he said, refuting a report in a Malay daily quoting Youth and Sports director-general Datuk Soraya Selamat.
“I do not know where this figure came from,” he told reporters at the Parliament lobby, adding that since 1988 the number of addicts detected was 289,763.
Of these, 32,808 addicts were detected last year, of which 7,419 were repeat offenders. The rest, numbering 15,389, were new addicts.
Najib admitted that drug rehabilitation centres had not brought about the desired results, forcing the Government to seek other ways to fight drug addiction, such as methadone treatment.
“As drug addiction is closely related to HIV, we have adopted the harm reduction method, which included the giving out of syringes,” he said, adding that the initial results were encouraging.
In Putrajaya, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Azalina Othman defended her director-general, saying that most of the youths were repeat offenders and not new addicts.
She said since there was no breakdown of actual statistics, it was hard to differentiate between new addicts and repeat offenders.
“The figure obtained by the ministry also has no breakdown in the ages of those youths involved,” she told reporters after chairing the national youth consultative meeting at her office yesterday.
“I don’t think many of addicts are youths fresh out of university or college,” she added.
Azalina said the ministry’s estimation was a wake-up call to the potential problem caused by drug addicts in the country.

DESIDERATA: Jest a short comment that many of our nation's so-called leaders will trumpet any national success, expand it a hundred times on the world stage.

But the slighest murmur of a blight hitting the country's landscape, many behave like the proverbial Ostrich. And many editorial Emus, who have no eyes to see 2,000-3,000 Malaysians assembled for a civil cause at the KLC4...

But I salute the gutsy Youth and Sports Minister for standing by her DG against the DPM!

Now maybe Azalina should find out why Nicol was left sitting there all beaten and alone...

PS: Nicol, you're still Desi's queen of the squash court, come hell or hi (or hello) waters!Steady as she goes.