Wednesday, November 12, 2008
No Money, No Big Bang in Penang
It's a fiasco. A tennis court has been tarred and built in the middle of the Esplanade padang but now the tournament dubbed the "Kings of Tennis" contest this week end has been put off. The court is barely a day old and now Penangites have been told that the show is off. The promoters, it seems, have not been paid for the tournament. No one is sure how much money is involved although a figure of US$2mil has been mentioned. It has also been reported that there could be a losses of over RM17.5mil from the cancellation of the event. But the fact is that the players are not current top names but more like yesterday's heroes. Unlike Klang Valley, where there is a bigger market, and the location central, the same cannot be said about Penang. From a marketing point of view, the Penang market is too small to convince sponsors with the cash, like the mobie phone operators, to support the event. The Penang state government is now going to say that it has no part in the tournament and that it was purely a private venture. Now, Penangites would be wondering what would happen to the day old tennis court, that has stuck out like a sore thumb at the Esplanade. Read Anil Netto and Mei Yen for more views.
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12 comments:
Credit is still due. At least, someone tried. He or she had actually tried to put Penang on the world map. The spirit and the heart were in the right place. Just imagine the spin-off this event could have brought. Sad to read all the smart-ass remarks "I told you so...".
Are this the sign of confidence level to state government by sponsors and investors? OR they afraid of Berseh demo?
according to the press release dated 11th Nov,
"Consequently, the event has been cancelled as we notified the local promoter/organiser last week"
and yet, the organisers went to the press on sat and insisted,
"Speculations about the event being cancelled are untrue. Those who doubt should drop by the Esplanade to see the structures already up"
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/11/9/nation/2502163&sec=nation
i am truly disgusted with the organisers.
to think that she already knew of the cancellation, and still proceeded to build the huge structure.
i can only speculate her reason for continuing with her charade. and tru$t me, none of them are naive or noble.
This is what we have when minnows govern the state. Their priority is upside down. Penang Chief Minister in particular is in quandry. Inspite of problems facing thousands of ordinary penangites, he has decided to go for road signs in order to please the tourists. RM17.5 million is a lot of money. This amount could easily be used to clear the heavily polluted streams or drainage facilities in the island. Monsoon is around the corner and Georgetown is very popular destination for those who wish to enjoy flashfloods. Beside road signs which he is now facing legal case unncessarily, the CM had also toured Korea with other minnows on tax payers monies. None of this will benefit the mass.
Tennis ? how popular is this event in malaysia? further more any popular sport even football is not getting enough support from public. the time is not right. even for foreign visitors to travel and watch the kings in action. Tourism ministry will not cooperate besause its being held in PR state... AND someone lost a quick buck .
This is a good lesson for LGE, Jeff Ooi and co. They have become insufferably smug and arrogant in the last few months going around like they are the best things since nasi lemak. Their endorsement of this event and various waivers given to the event organizer show that they failed to undertake adequate due diligence before lending the state government imprimatur to this sham of an event.
Now, of course, they are trying to distance themselves from this debacle when only a few days ago Jeff Ooi put up a triumphalist posting on his blog beating his chest (”I am naming names, BIG names!”).
I hope the esplanade will be restored without a
single sen from the state government. If there is a ‘bailout’ then not only has this shameful episode been indicative of LGE’s hubris-induced carelessness but also another deviation from his meow-meow CAT governance.
Serves the smug buggers right!
Guan Eng is too arrogant now. But can't even get a tennis match right...
One wonders what is their basis of having it staged in Penang.
it is unfortunate the event didn't go through as planned. With so much at stake, i think the organisers and co. wouldn't have risked failure so easily. There must have been other factors at work....sponsors pulling out last minute? something's fishy....i smell sabotage! of course, up until now, this is just my opinion. If it is proven to be as what i thought, then it is really sad that in Malaysia, everything seems to be politicised.
Let this be a lesson to everyone in government....especially the new LGE government. No problems, just learn from this debacle, move on and learn from this experience. Really this is not a big issue. Lets have a sense of proportion guys...
Datuk,
Don't blame Lim Guan Eng since being a good state CEO will know how to back the right horse. In the first place, Tennis is not a favorite sport event in Penang, secondly, the players are mostly-a has been player.
Economically, it is not viable. From business viewpoint, the proposal is not bankable.
Lim Guan Eng, being a CEO should be applauded for not wasting money like what Pak Lah did for the Monsoon Cup.
If you approach Li Kah shing also, he will back out.
How come some of you think there is a loss of money which can be used for the rakyat? So stupid is it? If there is any loss of such amount its the promoter's loss.
Wong Chun Wai ... stop the criticism in this manner. You are irresponsible. The Star has been involved in many sponsorships and if it fails its nothing to do with your company's stupidity but the event organiser's.
The Penang state government has been nice to accommodate and they did not spend any money or lose any. So what is the real issue?
The padang is like a mangy dog ok, its in a lousy condition from the start, its not a polo field even. The site IS NOT deemed as HISTORICAL so do not dramatise it.
A person messed up, let them answer for it. Let's not flay the council or state government. How much money has been lost by the Barisan goverment who has 50 years of experience? So let's be fair.
Mr Wong ... your reporting is bordering to disgusting especially when you reporters talk about freedom of the press and unbiased reporting. You are not for sure.
As a man, make a stand and treat people fairly.
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