SIBU – Sarawak Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah admitted that many people, including netizens, were angry with his recent statement regarding national diver Pandelela Rinong.
He claimed that some comments on Facebook, in fact, included threats to burn down his house.
However, Karim said he accepts the matter as “free speech” on social media and is not planning to lodge a police report as of now.
On May 7, Karim, who is also state tourism, arts and culture minister, was reported saying that giving Pandelela a “Datuk” title for winning Malaysia’s first-ever gold medal at the Fina Diving World Cup recently is not appropriate because the athlete is still young.
“Of course many rewards can be given, but it does not mean that each time someone becomes a champion at international level, we must award the ‘Datuk’ title. Not necessarily like that.
“Because of that, I stated that there will be rewards for them (successful athletes),” he said when met by reporters here today.
Karim said the Sarawak government had never neglected athletes who had been successful in major sports championships, especially at the international level. – Bernama, May 6, 2021
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