Newspapers can criticise, but it must be made responsibly and aimed at correcting things. This will help the party criticised to accept them (criticisms) positively.
Leaders are only human and if there is nobody to criticise us, then we may be carried away by our positions. In a democratic system, our fate lies in the hands of the people, as such, it is best to be corrected early rather than be rejected by the people later.
- Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak when launching the Pahang edition of the Bahasa Malaysia tabloid, Kosmo!, November 2006

Until a year ago, many - this writer included - never knew of Brickendonbury or its significance to Malaysia. But just before last year's World Cup finals in Germany, this small village about 65km from London was thrown into the spotlight.

theSun has written extensively on the proposal to create a High Performance Training Centre (HPTC) in an area which also houses the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC).

And over the past five weeks, we have exposed the lies and half-truths that have been conjured up to justify spending £10 million (RM 70 million) to upgrade non-existent hostels and facilities.

Criticism of this wasteful expenditure is being made responsibly and aimed at correcting things and saving taxpayers' money.

Last year, when I first wrote to Hertford councillors who would decide on the proposals, one of them - Nicholas Wilson - replied in an e-mail: "The Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre land is deemed for research and development, it would be very hard to change the use of the existing centre and land ..."

In the weeks and months that followed, I had been in touch with councillors and even local journalists.

I was at the TARRC in Brickendonbury on May 25 and May 30 and discovered that ministry officials had not been entirely honest. Allow me to put things in perspective.

Firstly, they told us that renovations would be carried out on existing hostels and facilities but there are no hostels or facilities to upgrade. Even so, the council officers say that they would only consider an application for a playing field with a small changing room.

Then they told us that the Under-16 football team would use it as a base and train with the Arsenal Academy. But as I discovered, the team did not train at the Academy, and the players stayed in a four-star hotel.

Then they said that every sen spent would be accounted for and confirmed that RM800,000 had been paid to an English architect.

However, according to council records, no plans had been submitted. After paying such a hefty sum, a new firm of architects has been appointed.

So, why did we part with this kind of money for nothing?

Every right-thinking Malaysian shares the DPM's views that leaders can be carried away by their positions and should be open to fair criticisms.

To summarise this whole issue, we now have spent RM800,000 without a single line being drawn; we have spent an additional RM750,000 to send players to England to stay in a hotel and train on an uneven pitch at TARRC.

Also, there are no "existing" hostels to "renovate" or "upgrade".

So, it brings us back to the basic question: Why weren't Malaysians told of these and other material facts which are likely to emerge in the near future?

Rumours had been circulating that a "Malaysian middleman company" had been appointed as "project consultants" but the then director-general of the National Sports Council, Datuk Dr Ramlan Abdul Aziz, categorically told colleague Terence Fernendez and me in an interview that "no outsiders were involved" and that he was in "the thick of things".

Maybe he is not in the thick of things anymore as Ramlan has moved to the National Sports Institute, but as late as June 2, he has issued statements on the HPTC.

But now, the said rumour has surfaced yet again, with some quarters claiming that the previous architects - David Lane Associates - were not paid that much as claimed, and that some middlemen have pocketed a percentage for their "services".

The DPM has his hands full with many other issues of national interest. The responsibility of answering all questions on this so-called training centre should be left to the sports minister or Ramlan - both of whom had been vocal in pushing this project through.

I am sure he is aware that there have been attempts to pass the buck and he should make sure that those responsible for this mess own up and explain themselves.

They should come clean - once and for all - and tell everything the rakyat want to know about how their money is being spent. No hiding behind the Cabinet Committee on Sports, the Official Secrets Act or some such obscure regulations.

We have a right to know and I am sure they will be reminded by the DPM's remarks that "it is best to be corrected early rather than be rejected by the people later." Especially so, when some leaders have the tendency to challenge journalists to stand for election if they are not happy with their policies.

R. Nadeswaran is deputy editor (special reporting) at theSun. He can be reached at: citizen-nades@thesundaily.com