Malaysia reacts angrily to Australian criticism

Malaysia reacts angrily to Australian criticism

KUALA LUMPUR (AP): As one newspaper put in bold yesterday,
Australia's top Commonwealth Games official was a "pain from down
under."

Perry Crosswhite, general manager of Australian's Commonwealth
Games Association, may want to stay away from Kuala Lumpur, given
how much hostility he has provoked.

On Wednesday, he warned Australian athletes to expect
difficulties during next month's games because some of the
Malaysian organizers were former military officers.

"I think if we judge it in respect of Western standards we are
going to have to be very careful about that because we're used to
running sports events of this magnitude and they are not,"
Crosswhite said.

"I take strong exception," said Hashim Mohd. Ali, the
Malaysian chief of the 1998 organizing committee.

Hashim said he had dashed off a letter to the Australian
Commonwealth Games Association protesting the comments.

"The Aussie is just an insecure redneck anxious to look
sophisticated and wordly-wise," screamed yesterday's Malay Mail.
"Friendly, yet so insular and parochial like their pinup girl of
the moment -- Pauline Hanson."

Hanson is a right-wing, anti-Asian immigrant member of the
Australian Parliament.

Crosswhite said Wednesday that Malaysia may have difficulty
coping with some specific sport issues as some of the games
officials are former military officers.

"Things are going to happen and it will go wrong," Crosswhite
said.

Hashim is a retired army general and many of the other sports
managers are former military officers.

Hashim said Malaysia would find it difficult to be a good host
if visitors came in biased.

"If they come with a mind-set that things will go wrong, then
it will become very difficult to look after them," he told a news
conference.

But he said he wanted to wait for a response from the
Australian sports managers before commenting further.

"If he comes and apologizes, I will accept that and say let us
enjoy the games."

The 10-day games begin September 11. September is a month when
it usually rains almost daily.

More than 6,000 athletes and sports officials are expected to
participate in the games, ranked second to the Olympics in
importance.

Meanwhile, cricketers will not be exempted from drug tests at
next month's Commonwealth Games because all participants are
governed by the same rules, the chief organizer said yesterday.

"The Commonwealth Games Federation stand is that there cannot
be any exception," said Hashim Mohd. Ali, the chief organizer of
the 1998 games which will include cricket for the first time.

Indian cricket managers have protested drug tests for
cricketers, saying nowhere in the world do players undergo such
scrutiny. Indian cricketers won't appear for tests, the Indian
cricket board said this week.

Hashim said he had not received a letter from the Board of
Control for Cricket in India, but if he does, he would just
forward it to the CGF in London, which lays down rules for the
games.

But he did not seem to think it was worth the fuss. "If you
are innocent, then why do you worry," he said.

Tests to determine whether a sports person is taking
performance-enhancing drugs will be carried out at random and a
cricketer could very likely be included, he said. But not
everyone would have to undergo the test.