KUALA LUMPUR - As the Malaysian badminton squad celebrated making the semi-final of the Sudirman Cup after 12 years, one player became the victim of racist slur on social media.
S. Kisona was the target of a netizen who derogatorily refered to her 'keling' on social media.
The Facebook post has apparently been taken down but not before it had gone viral.
The post said: BAM kutip india (keling) dlm estate mana lah jd pemain utama Malaysia (Which estate did BAM find this indian (keling) and made her Malaysia's main player)
The Facebook post has angered many in the sports industry who are disgusted by the uncalled for remark by that individual.
A former sportsman who declined to be named told The Vibes that comments like these do not augur well to non-Malay athletes.
"This is against the spirit of the Keluarga Malaysia slogan as propagated by the prime minister.
"Apparently the Facebook account belongs to an individual who is a politician from Bersatu's Pasir Puteh division.
"It is sad to see Malaysia led by such leaders and he should be really ashamed of himself.
"The authorities should not let this go unpunished," he said.
Another person from the sporting fraternity added this is not good for Malaysia's future generation of athletes as youngsters from other races will not come forward to represent Malaysia.
"Malaysians need to be a little more sensitive when posting on social media.
"What has Kisona done wrong to deserve this insult? She plays for Malaysia and if people cannot support her, at least don't insult her," said the sports expert.
Kisona is one of the women badminton players the Badminton Association of Malaysia is grooming for Paris 2024 Olympics. - The Vibes, October 3, 2021