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KUALA LUMPUR – Pakatan Harapan’s (PH) Ipoh Timur candidate Howard Lee has slammed the caretaker government for doing little to capitalise on the esports ecosystem, which could benefit the national economy and the country’s youth.
He said Malaysia has a unique esports ecosystem as there are fanbases of various esports publishers such as Tencent, Valve, Riot Games, Activision, and Moonton, whereas other countries have one dominating platform.
“The current government has done little to capitalise on this uniqueness,” he said in a press conference streamed on PH component DAP’s Facebook account today.
He also claimed that confusion arose on the duties of the National Sports Council (NSC), Malaysia Esports Federation (MESF), and Esports Integrated.
He added that the Olympic Council of Malaysia faces problems over the recognition of a national esports governing body.
“In the last few months, we have seen a lot of confusion, with certain bodies like MESF claiming that it is the sole authority of esports, while it should fall under NSC.
“There was a problem with the recognition of MESF as the national governing body for esports during the Hanoi SEA Games.
“It would be embarrassing if this were to continue, so we are giving our commitment to addressing and solving that, specifically for the long term.”
Among the promises Lee spoke of were having large-scale annual events as they would attract industry giants such as Valve, Tencent, and Moonton.
The 39-year-old also said that there needs to be streamlining and digitalising of the visa request process for international sports and esports athletes, as well as government support for esports tournaments.
“It is about grassroots athlete development, and that of potential athletes including those in esports with additional capacity, personal knowledge, and skills.
“These policies will increase the focus of the government on esports, which will lead to a positive economic spillover in terms of sports tourism.
“We hope to see Malaysia become an esports hub and will make this our goal.”
Lee said there is a need to continue to grow traditional sports via strategic investments and restructuring of the ecosystem development.
He added that upgrading selected sports complexes is crucial in positioning Malaysia as a destination for high-performance sports training.
Additionally, he said, sports facilities should be equipped with the latest technology to allow athletes to efficiently train and rehabilitate. – The Vibes, November 12, 2022
