KUALA LUMPUR: The Youth and Sports Ministry is looking to have more sports facilities open to the public at night in a bid to encourage a healthy lifestyle among Malaysians.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh said her ministry is currently in negotiations with local authorities in the Federal Territories and Selangor to get them to extend their operating hours for certain facilities.
"A lot of people want to exercise, for example jog, after they come back from work at night from around 8pm to 10pm when it is also cooler," said Yeoh recently.
"Most of the public sports facilities, however, are closed by 7pm as local authorities say the electricity bill to light up such facilities is expensive.
"We are currently in negotiations with local authorities in the Federal Territories and Selangor to get them to open some of their facilities, such as mini stadiums, at night. We understand that it is not possible for them to open all their facilities at night, that is fine.
"The negotiations are still in an early phase but we are hoping for a positive outcome.
"We are also discussing with Tenaga Nasional Berhad to request for a discount for recreational infrastructure. This is to promote a healthy lifestyle which includes exercising at night.
"If the electricity bill remains high, we will have to look at solar power."
Yeoh added that the Youth and Sports Ministry is also studying the possibility of installing solar panels on the roofs of sports facilities.
"Green technology including solar is something that we need to explore when we are upgrading sports facilities," added Yeoh.
"Sometimes when we hand over facilities to local authorities they are not able to maintain it (due to high running costs). We hope to find a (environmentally) sustainable and affordable solution."
During a recent visit to Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris in Tanjung Malim, Yeoh was impressed by the university's use of solar power to light up their car park.