Sports should be made mandatory for employees – Nizam
TAWAU: Sports and exercise can help to produce excellent workers in an organization, and should be made a mandatory activity every week and not limited to just certain celebrations or events, said Benta Wawasan Sdn Bhd chairman Datuk Haji Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan.
“This is because sports can ensure better health and energy needed by every employee to carry out their responsibility to lead the organization towards success,” he said during the closing ceremony and presentation of prizes of the company’s sports carnival at the Tawau Sports Complex.
Nizam, who is also Political Secretary to the Chief Minister, said the number of Malaysians who are active in sports is still low at around 40 percent compared with 50 to 60 per cent in developed countries.
If Malaysians do not exercise and take part in sports, they will be exposed to various risks from killer diseases arising from an unhealthy lifestyle, he said.
“A study also showed that 44.5 per cent of Malaysians, aged 18 years and over are overweight or obese, the highest in Southeast Asia,”he said.
Hence, he said awareness and education would also need to be given serious attention to bring about a pragmatic and positive change to ensure that people adopt a beneficial healthy lifestyle.
For example, sport is not uncommon for those who are health conscious as it improves physical strength, he said.
Nizam said that from a religious point, sports can encourage Muslims to prepare for the physical strength to cope with the enemies of God.
“Make sports a duty because it can provide many benefits in all aspects of our lives as human beings,” he said.
Nizam, who is also the political secretary to the Chief Minister, said only healthy people will think positive in life because these people have active and alert minds.
He hoped the sports carnival would be able to open a new chapter for Benta Wawasan in making a change for the better in the future.