KUCHING, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- The Youth and Sports Ministry is giving flexibility to youth and sports associations in Sarawak to register with the Registrar of Youth Organisations (ROY) or Registrar of Societies (ROS).

Its minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek said the ministry would set up a ROY office in Sarawak in February this year to make it easy for the associations to register themselves, like what their counterparts in the peninsula and Sabah did.

"We (federal and state governments) will again discuss the matter and at this point, we've given the choice (to Sarawak youth and sports bodies) to register with ROY or ROS," he said after chairing the Sabah and Sarawak Sports Ministries' Joint Committee meeting, here, today.

Ahmad Shabery said most youth associations in Sarawak like Pertubuhan Belia Kebangsaan Bersatu Sarawak (Saberkas) were registered with ROS and subject to its stipulated conditions such as the age limit for the leaders and members.

He said registering with ROY would also enable the ministry to monitor the activities of the associations.

He also said that Sabah and Sarawak ministers would be co-opted into the Cabinet committee on matters related to youth and sports development which involved 12 federal ministries.

He said the involvement of ministers from the two East Malaysian states was important in determining the direction of youth development, particularly in sports.

"For instance, the contributions of Sarawak's sportsmen and sportswomen like Bryan Nickson Lomas and Pandalela Rinong are very encouraging, and this it what we want for the country's sports development."

The minister said under the Tenth Malaysia Plan, more sports infrastructure would be built in Sarawak, including the planned squash court.

(Source: BERNAMA, 7 Jan 2011)