Hannah Yeoh defends 'political instability reason for athletes' poor performance' remark

KUALA LUMPUR, May 25 — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has defended her stance that Malaysia’s athlete's performance was affected including in the recently concluded SEA Games due to political instability in the country.

“In the last four years, we changed three prime ministers and three youth and sports ministers.

“Since May 2013, the minister then Khairy Jamaluddin had 61 months to prepare for sporting events, July 2018 Syed Saddiq (Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman) had only 20 months of preparation time before Sheraton Move happened and later Reezal Merican (Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican) had only 18 months, Faizal Azumu (Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu) had only 16 months.

“In the four years, three ministers changed and each time we change, there will be changes of board members, budget, and focus,” Yeoh told the Parliament today during Minister’s Question Time.

She was responding to PAS’s Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhil Shaari who asked her to elaborate on her earlier statement regarding political instability citing other countries such as Kenya, Cuba and Serbia, whereby their political landscape was not better than Malaysia but yet their athletes manage to perform.

Yeoh also cited an incident in 2022 whereby the budget allocation for podium events was not listed as part of the Budget 2022.

Yeoh said as a result, the National Sports Council (NSC) had to rearrange programmes planned to prepare athletes for sporting events for the year 2022 among them were Vietnam SEA Games, Commonwealth Games, Birmingham Games, Asian Games and Asian Games in China this year.

“The effect was, 220 athletes did not manage to continue with their training as there was no specific allocation for the senior training programme under the podium events.

“At the same time, NSC had to utilise internal funds to ensure that allowances and trainers’ salaries were not delayed which could affect athletes' performances who were in the midst of their training.

“This situation carried on for two months from January to February 2022, the ministry took the initiative to appeal to the Cabinet to get an allocation for podium events which had been agreed under the 12th Malaysia Plan is RM240 million from 2022 to 2025 — RM60 million for each year.

“While we are busy politicking here, our neighbouring countries have moved forward.

“It’s easier for me if I place all the burden and replies on the National Sports Association but I believe that it is not a responsible move if I don’t say that the political situation in Malaysia had played a role as one of the factors.

“But we have to admit that in the last four years, after the Sheraton Move, the government had to carry out efforts to help the economy, education, and all were interrupted due to instability of politics,” Yeoh said.