Will Anwar Turn Blind Eye To Fam Football Scandal

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Awarding citizenship to the seven players on the grounds of Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail’s discretion or arbitrariness is the highest form of crime in the country.
I would think that such a crime is tantamount to treason - sacrificing the rights of citizens who were born and bred in the country.
Obviously, Saifuddin’s reason for granting citizenship rights cannot be accepted.
Citizenship rights cannot be conferred on football players just because the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) wants the Malaysian national team to win in international football tournaments.
ADSThe players from countries like Spain, the Netherlands, Brazil, and Argentina might have the right to hold dual citizenship, unlike Malaysia.
Once these players have lost their relevance in football, they might just abandon their Malaysian citizenship. I understand that one of the players has already left the country following the scandal exposed by the International Federation of Association Football (Fifa).
The seven ‘heritage’ players granted Malaysian citizenshipAll in all, about 23 players have gained citizenship, including the controversial seven.
Discretionary powers
Saifuddin has yet to explain whether the 16 players granted citizenship after 2018 were also approved under the discretionary powers of the ministers before him.
The invocation of discretionary powers simply means the use of arbitrary authority not legitimised by the laws pertaining to citizenship in the country.
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has reminded us that the granting of citizenship to these foreign players would not have happened without the involvement of powerful figures who think they are above the law.
Despite the international scandal involving cheating and fraud, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has not uttered a single word on the controversy.
It is obvious that when it comes to unpopular matters, Anwar prefers to leave them to his cheerleaders, like Saifuddin, to defend the indefensible measures taken.
Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution IsmailFrom critic to cheerleader
The other cheerleader who has nothing but praises for Saifuddin is none other than Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh.
When Yeoh was in the opposition, she did not mince her words in criticising the government on the citizenship issue.
ADSFor DAP leaders, being in opposition and being in government are two qualitatively different things. Political principles, ideological commitments, and other values are thrown out once power is acquired.
So much for DAP!
Since the Fifa investigation exposed FAM’s international scandal, the question is: what is the Madani government going to do about it?
Is the government under philosopher Anwar going to turn a blind eye to international deceit and fraud, or will it set up a task force to get to the root of the problem?
Forget about a royal commission of inquiry, as it serves no purpose.
If Anwar can decorate his speech on the recent Budget 2026 with verses from ancient philosophical texts, surely he must have access to verses that depict the ugly side of football in the country. - Mkini
P RAMASAMY is former Penang deputy chief minister II and Urimai chairperson.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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