ONLY when one thought that Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh could sigh relief that the brickbats of nepotism, cronyism and favouritism stemming from the selection of her husband’s firm to partake the Selangor state transit system project have subsided, she found herself embroiled in yet another fiasco.
This time around, forgiveness is seemingly hard to come by for the affable Segambut MP as her credibility as a minister is tested to the limit with the Yonex-designed Team Malaysia’s Paris Olympics 2024 apparel shortcomings.
If the social media can be treated as a fair court of public opinion, then the preliminary gauge is such that the popularity of the DAP politician has nosedived to the lowest ebb.
Many of her fans are seemingly turning against her on the social media with calls to relinquish her ministership on the rise especially after she responded to her once predecessor Khairy Jamaluddin’s sarcasm regarding the pattern and design of the national contingent’s official uniform in a manner deemed awkward to their liking.
According to Yeoh, every leader has his/her own way of dealing with issues and managing the tasks given to them, including official attire for the national athletes.
“I respect our stakeholders and the Malaysian Olympic Council (MOM) which is the main stakeholder for the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS). I have a close working relationship with them and respect them as an institution,” she told the media after launching the National Women’s Football League in Kuala Lumpur yesterday (June 27).
“..,. I’ve been informed that during KJ’s era, he could dictate the style he desired but after that MOM has been determining the jersey design for the jersey.”
“Zaman KJ.. itu adalah zaman KJ. Style KJ…”
Komen YB Hannah Yeoh mengenai pakaian ke Olimpik 2024. @ASTROARENA pic.twitter.com/h9FvQOBbPu
— Syifa Nasir (@syfansr) June 27, 2024
Nevertheless, Yeoh went on to assure that the attire in question “will not be used during the parade” by insisting that “attire for that purpose has already been chosen.
“We have heard people’s comments on social media and (MOM president) Tan Sri Norza (Zakaria) has been informed about KBS’s views. I believe MOM is able to deal with this issue well,” she contended.
“We’ve to respect their sponsorship contract with Yonex and I leave it to Tan Sri Norza and believe that he wants to settle the matter.”
Netizens aside, MCA Youth has also ticked off Yeoh for attempting to deflect responsibility by claiming that “uniform design falls outside her ministry’s scope”.
“Such statement is irresponsible, fails to reflect well on her leadership and is unworthy as a beacon of light for impressionable youths,” lamented MCA Youth central committee member Ivone Low Yi Wen who described the entire episode as a “comedy of errors”.
“The Youth and Sports Ministry is the highest authority responsible for national sports and international participation. Yet, Hannah Yeoh has sprints away from acknowledging and addressing these shortcomings, preferring instead to shirk responsibility and blame others.” – June 28, 2024
