Chin Aun, Santokh, Arumugam and Mokhtar Dahari..Purity of Intent!

Who calls Son Chin Aun Dato? Make him a Tan Sri's if you want ...Huh..to me he is always the Tawke. Larger than life, a master of the game, a Malaysian to be respected and revered. Though Chin Aun does not know me, he is my friend for life.

Often, when people of my genre are asked about national unity, about Malaysian pulling for one another against a common adversary, about friendship and mateship, we unhesitintingly think back to those days when we had the Towkay leading our national footballers into battle.

Soh Chin Aun, Santokh, Aramugam, Mokhtar Dahari......these are all names that roll of our tongues as we think about those days when I use to go to Merdeka Stadium and watch them play football for their country, play football for us, and for themselves.

And there is still one question I want to ask Santokh if I ever get to meet him...how can a Bai who looks so tall and ungainly...be one of the best defenders we have ever had? Apa macham Santokh? How you move so well arh?

We in the Merdeka Stadium stands were together in cheering for our national team, and they on the fields, were together playing their hearts out for their country. Whoever they played, we knew they will do their best. Whoever we faced, we never worried about our defence. How to be worried with Santokh and Aramugan there. Chin An was all over the field marshalling his team to attack or defend, and with Mokhtar Dahari forward, all that was needed was for the ball to come Mokhtars way, and we were sure that he will score!

Of course there were times when things did not go their way and they lost...always to a better team...at least a better team on that day. But win or lose, we went to see them as Malaysians, cheered them on as Malaysian.

After the game, we all went home as Malaysians streaming down the road from Merdeka Stadium happily jostling each other and bantering with each other about the match we had just seen. Football bought us all together.

Today, how dare they talk about JDT in the same breath as they talk about the football team of the past?

JDT is not a football team. It is a collection of individuals playing for money. Most of them past their prime, Most of them because other better teams will no longer want them...and so in the twilight of their years, this Pendek guy impressed them with his Ferrari and Lamborghini....made them think that think that with Pendek, they can be part of the riches and wealth that Pendek was flashing about, and so they told themselves...why retire now...I can earn a bit more money playing for JDT.

And yes money was lavished upon the team.. not Pendek's money...it was money from the State government, from Statutory bodies operating in Johor, the Municipalities, and anybody and anywhere else Pendek can ask for money for HIS football team.

JDT had the best facilities that other people's money can buy. They had decent emoluments that Pendek can pay them with other people's money. Enough to keep them going but never enough for greed. And so some of them began to add to their earnings by playing to win or lose for more money from the gamblers that would pay for them to lose, or win a game. Money, not the game, became their obsession.

There were some glory days expensively won, but the J DT situation was simply untenable on a long term basis. When the reality of JDT being a giant hole that needed regular replenishing of cash to keep it going hit the height and intellectually challenged Pendek, Pendek realised that even if JDT had all the money it needed, and all the 'best' foreign players that other people's money can buy, the best facilities that other people's money can give them....if it did not had 'heart', it cannot go on.

Can you imagine where JDT will be going now without Pendek treating it as his own personal toy? Without Pendek constantly siphoning money out of the state government and state authorities and business in Johor to keep paying for the expenses to keep JDT operational....and without the 'royal authority' of Pendek to push to make things happen for JDT?

JDT will go down the drain...and damm Bangsa Johor.

JDT was never for Bangsa Johor. It was never for football. JDT was for the players, for Pendek and for the glory of Pendek, and for the money each of them can make off each other and for each other.

Never for the love of the game. Never for the crowd that came to see them play. Never for anything else or anybody else but for themselves. Empty and devoid of 'heart'.

Soh Chin Aun, Santokh, Aramugan, Mokhtar Dahari and the others that played with them......they all had heart. They all had our love, respect and reverence...and trust.

You need to have trust In Chin Aun, Santokh and Aramugan when you see the ball being dribbled forward into you OUR side of the field. We trusted them enough to know that to the best of their ability, they will defend. And even if the opposing side did have a shot at goal...we know Arumugan hands were long enough to cover any eventualities and stop them from scoring...and then once the ball is safe in his hands...we see him urging everyone forward...and he will kick the ball forward to Mokhtar... and we see Mokhtar make his penetrating run into the opponents side .....and we will be cheering the team into attacking mode. Win, lose or draw...we were all Malaysians.

So please guys....have some respect for football. Have some respect for the Towkay and his boys...have some respect for the spectators and for Bangsa Johor, have some respect for football....let us call JDT for what it is...a sad excuse for a team that money put together, that money kept together, also became the team that money finally wrecked asunder.