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Cabinet tomorrow should direct the police to grant scholarship to All-England singles champion Hafiz Hashim to one of the local university sports centres as proper national recognition and promotion of sports talents Media Statement by Lim Kit Siang (Penang,  Tuesday): Mingguan Malaysia (2.3.03) reported that the newly-crowned All-England singles champion, Mohammad Hafiz Hashim, together with his brother Muhammad Roslin Hashim, have sent their acceptance to join the police force as "konstabel tambahan". This has raised a controversy on the Internet as to whether this is the proper national recognition and promotion of sports talents in the country, although the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said that the Kelantanese Malaysian hero who brought home the All-England title after a long wait of 37 years since it was last won by Tan Aik Huang in 1966 "should not be spoilt". One Internet mailing list comment said: "Malaysia membuktikan ia masih sebuah negara mundur setaraf Zimbabwe dan Tonga. Jaguh sukan di Negara maju seperti Michael Jordan dan Tiger Woods diberikan biasiswa menuntut di universiti terkenal seperti North Carolina dan Stanford untuk berjaya dalam sukan dan akedemik. "Malangnya di Malaysia jaguh sukan hanya di balas dengan jawatan konstabel (prebet) polis. Suatu penghinaan kepada ahli sukan yang berjasa besar kepada negara Malaysia. Paling kurang sepatutnya Hafiz dan Roslin dihadiahkan biasiswa untuk menuntut Sains Sukan di UPM atau UiTM." This criticism is "spot on" in validity and legitimacy. The Cabinet tomorrow should direct the police to grant an university scholarship to Hafiz to one of the local university sports centres as a proper national recognition and promotion of sports talents so that a proper career course could be structured, developed and offered, not only to Hafiz, but also to his brother Roslin and other national sports talents in the various university sports centres as is the practice in other developed nations like the United States and Canada. The University of Malaya, for instance, established its Sports Centre as far back as 1986, and is the first tertiary institution in Malaysia to offer the Bachelor of Sports Science degree programme. It mission is to strive for sports excellence and to fulfil the need of the country for more professionals to aid the development of Malaysian sports. A credit in BM at SPM level is the minimum entry requirement. Other universities with sports centres include UPM, UKM and UiTM. After his scholarship study and first degree, Hafiz should be able to start his police service from a higher point of entry as an officer instead of the present lowly level of just as a "konstabel tambahan". (4/3/2003) * Lim Kit Siang, DAP National Chairman