Something Is Rotten When A Gold Medallist Pleads On Social Media

---

 


When a gold medallist who lifted the nation’s name on the world stage is forced to plead on social media, it is an indictment of the nation’s sporting bodies and reflective of the collapse of governance and integrity, said PKR vice-president Jimmy Puah.
“Disgraceful” was the single word the Tebrau MP used to describe the ordeal faced by Malaysia’s Paralympic badminton hero Cheah Liek Hou after his gold-medal triumph in Paris last year.
“A properly functioning sports body should not have to wait for public pressure before ‘staging’ a prize-giving ceremony. It is even more unacceptable that they so casually blamed ‘withdrawn sponsors’ as an excuse to slash an athlete’s reward.
“It must be emphasised: this is not a financial issue, but a values issue; not a lack of funds, but a lack of respect,” Puah said in his scathing rebuke of the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC).
Puah’s remarks come in the wake of Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh condemning MPC for mulling legal action against Cheah (above) over his public complaints against the council for the delay in giving him a RM60,000 cash incentive after his gold medal win.
MPC president Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin said if Cheah is found guilty by the council's disciplinary committee, he could be banned for life from participation in multi-sports games.
Malaysian Paralympic Council president Megat D Shahriman ZaharudinHe said this is because the MPC has the authority to register athletes for participation in such events.
Megat also claimed that the amount of RM60,000 was not promised to Cheah, adding that the athlete's public statement had damaged the latter's credibility while hindering future sponsorship.
Serious failure
Puah said while the MPC is an independent, registered sports body, not directly under the government or the Youth and Sports Ministry, it has demonstrated a serious failure in handling public resources and matters concerning national athletes.
He called on MPC’s top leadership to apologise to both Cheah and Malaysians, as well as to provide a full explanation on where the reward money went and how the decisions were made.
“Any party that attempts to manipulate, cover up weaknesses, or divert attention is, in fact, complicit in a collective insult to our national heroes.
ADS“Moreover, attempts to politicise this issue and blame the government are irresponsible, because the federal government had already fully disbursed the rewards to the winners immediately after the Games.
“This problem clearly stems from an independent body lacking integrity and oversight. An institution that fails to honour the sweat and sacrifice of athletes does not deserve to continue managing national representation,” he added.
Puah said If MPC is unable to reform and fix its shortcomings, the people have every right to demand its leadership step down and make way for individuals with true capability and vision to restore the situation.
PKR vice-president Jimmy Puah“Paralympic athletes are neither a marginalised group nor individuals to be ‘praised merely as a formality’. They are the pride of the nation and the embodiment of Malaysia’s true spirit. They deserve the highest respect - not the deepest disappointment.
“Sports is not merely about winning or losing on the court. It is a mirror of the country’s systems and values. We cannot allow that mirror to shatter - and even more so, we must not allow athletes to bear those broken shards alone,” he added.
On Sept 13, Yeoh said the matter had been resolved, assuring that Cheah would be paid the RM60,000 incentive "soon".
The minister said she had been given an explanation by the MPC, and the organisation had already set a date for Cheah to receive the incentive. - Mkini

---