LETTER | Don’t relocate Bukit Jalil sports complex

LETTER | It will be a crying shame and a waste of taxpayers’ money if the Bukit Jalil Sports Complex is relocated to Sepang.

Relocating the sports facility would mean moving the National Sports Council, National Sports Institute, and the Bukit Jalil Sports School.

It must be noted that a whopping RM2 billion was forked out by the then government to build the National Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 100,000, the National Hockey Stadium, the Axiata Indoor Stadium, and the National Squash Centre.

The complex was constructed to host the Commonwealth Games in 1998.

To gain easy access for people to attend sporting events, the government included the design and construction of the Bukit Jalil LRT station to be part of the complex.

The complex was refurbished at a cost of RM1.6 billion over a two-year period from 2015 for Malaysia to host the Southeast Asia Games in 2017.

I am not wrong to say that the new proposed facility may cost more than the RM3.6 billion invested, the initial cost and the refurbishment.

The authorities must take pride that the National Stadium is one of the biggest in the region, if not the biggest.

Think again about whether the complex should be relocated, and do we have the necessary funding at a critical time when the country’s economy has taken a beating.

Will the proposed site of the new complex, to be located about 50km from the city, have easy access to public transport?

The proposed new facility is unlikely to draw spectators to any sporting event due to the distance.

The complex is sitting on prime land and should be preserved.

The initial plan was to demolish the National Stadium. The latest development to relocate the entire complex to Sepang is mind-boggling.

I would like to say as a keen sports fan, the first thing that comes to my mind when I decide to attend an event is whether there is easy access to public transport.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.