KUALA LUMPUR – Angkatan Muda Keadilan (AMK) Terengganu young women’s chairperson, Yuslaini Azmi, is calling out to Youth and Sports minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu, to set up an independent body to investigate the reason why national Paralympian Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli reported late to the call room during the recent Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
“I am sure Faizal is aware that the accompanying officers are from the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC), National Sports Council (NSC) and National Sports Institute (NSI). If this continues to happen, Malaysia will be seen as a country that lacks sportsmanship and does not care for the welfare of their athletes,” said Yuslaini in a joint statement with 16 other individuals from Gerakan Reformasi Sukan Negara.
They include Batu MP, P. Prabakaran, Ketari ADUN, Young Syefura Othman and MUDA Central executive committee member, Tarmizi Anuwar.
Yuslaini was responding to Faizal’s statement saying that he would submit a full investigation on Ziyad’s case, which should be carried out by NSC and MPC.
Yuslaini further expressed her frustration that Malaysia’s chef de mission (CDM), Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, has yet to take any responsibility for what had happened.
“The CDM should have apologised for the management’s failure instead of blaming the Malaysians, who were expressing outrage (through social media) at the Ukrainian team and blaming them for Ziyad’s disqualification,” said Yuslaini, adding that none of the officials, who had participated in the Paralympic Games − including the MPC − had admitted to any mistakes.
Instead, Ziyad’s coach, Faizal Harun, made a public apology even though his job was to train the athlete.
In the statement, Yuslaini said she echoes the sentiments of NSC former director-general, Datuk Seri Zolkples Embong, that the commission set up to investigate the matter should be independent to ensure that the people heading the investigation are not the same parties responsible for the underlying issue. – The Vibes, September 9, 2021
