The christening oi the country s apex sports l«ody Na tional Sport* Control Board (NSCBI soon after our libera tion was not without a hiccup, hi It* infancy. Kazi Motahar Hussain the guru" ol Bangladesh chess had objected the word control' This was at the time when sport* buffs were trying to gel into term* with the red edifice in the city's commercial hub
What bugged the philosopher scientist was tbe touch of a cleric in the huge signboard of the NSCB It bothered the septagerlan what "control" had lo do with sports Kazi Sha-heb s objection perhaps led to the dropping of the word but ironically and essentially the National Sports Council (NSC), despite its rechrtstening. has remained a hectoring institution.
The NSC has come to be reputed as a den of corruption, a house of manifold malprac tier' and also a source of undermining effect on different federations. It has over the years been a parlour for materialising the petty personal and political interests of a known clique with military and civil affiliations.
Besides, many feel, NSC s cloudy and grim existence has worked as a deterrent in the initiation of democratic prac tice in the federations.
The-country Is abuzz with the hum of expectation whal with the new government embarking on a mammoth operation to bring change in all spheres As elsewhere the sports arena has also undergone a few obvious changes, notably, the emergence of a new state minister for youth, sports and culture.
Obaidul Quader. better known for his oratory and involvement in Awami League politics, more so as a firebrand leader of its student .wing Bangladesh Chattra
League The soft-spoken MP from Noakhali replaced Sad-eque Hossain, the latter with a inis iitiliaed' legacy of deeper and longer Involvement in sports
Quader* relative want of
familiarity with the athletic arena has given vent to the. skeptic* about hi* ability to address th>- problems plaguing our national sports
But the rather taciturn supremo of country's sport* has not been loo wide on the mark with his first few deliveries In fact, he has ao far given al) signs of being bang on tar ge*
The Daily Star met the State Minister for Youth. Sports and Culture, by practice. the Chairman of the Na tloiial Sports Council — the man qt the centre of all the buzz
The excerpts.
DS: In voiir recent deliberations to different organisation* you have said that elections In the federations is a must to
uplift the dwindling standard* How do propose to translate the. otherwise long-standing political slogan into reality tin der the prevailing NSC Act?
Obaidul Quader: 1 am going through the constitution. I have already pointed out a few sections whiob are contradictory to our mission to democratise the sports arena. These have to be amended particularly the clauses which require the president of a federation to be appointed by the NSC and that ne (the presi dent) will not only pick the rest of the committee but also-has the power to dismiss the whole body. This Is absolutely undemocratic.
DS: To amend the existing law you will have to move a bill In the parliament When do you plan to do that?
OQ: The first session ol the 7th parliament will begin from July 14 1 think it would be loo early to move a bill In the first session. But I can assure you that the ministry will propose a bill with necessary amendments as early as possible
D6 Some have dubbed your recent moves to bring about changes tn the ad-hoc commit tees of different federations as l»eing against the spirit of what you are preaching How can you explain this?
OQ: It is not true. I m brining changes in only those federations which were running without presidents after the departure of the BRP govern ment Besides. I have strong reservations against appointing ministers In different sports federations as these were ear Her done with political motive*. 1 want to change the. trend. Right now J have to fol low the existing NSC Act, but I can assure you that only persons suitable for the posts will be appointed, irrespective of their political background
(To be continued tomor rowl