Selangor ruler slams Kita Lawan sports motto; state exco to change slogan
As published in Malay Mail today.
By Vijhay Vick
By Vijhay Vick
SUBANG
JAYA — The Sultan of Selangor has voiced his displeasure over the
state’s 2016 Malaysia Games (Sukma) contingent using Kita Lawan as its
slogan.
In a strongly worded speech during the Selangor Sports
Awards last night, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah said: “The slogan Kita
Lawan has been used by a particular political party. I do not want the
general public to misconstrue or presume that the Selangor contingent is
trying to politicise sports. It is best for the Selangor contingent to
use a different slogan that is more spirited and will not invite
controversy.”
The Selangor Sports Council’s Kita Lawan battle
cry was revealed during a briefing with sports associations on March 27.
Malay Mail broke the news on March 29 on its frontpage.
Sports
officials who attended the briefing expressed shock, stressing the
tagline is used by jailed opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s
supporters who are fighing for his release.
State executive councillor for sports Amirudin Shari had then insisted the tagline was “not an issue”.
Sukma is the national games participated by athletes aged 21 and below. The 2016 edition is in Sarawak.
The Selangor ruler also said internal problems between officials had caused the decline of Selangor sports.
“Selangor was a powerhouse between the 1960s and 1980s. The state has progressed but sports have declined.
“I
want all officials, coaches, managers, athletes and those involved to
double up their efforts, clean up their act, strategise and be more
committed to see Selangor achieve success.”
He highlighted financial issues faced by certain associations and reminded officials to be long-sighted in their plans.
“I would like to remind sports officials to stop fighting and trying to topple each other.”
MEANWHILE, The Malaysian Insider reported:
Susulan teguran dibuat Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah malam ini, kerajaan negeri Selangor mengaku akur dengan titahnya yang melarang campur tangan politik dalam sukan dan mahu diperbaiki prestasi industri itu yang semakin merosot.
Exco Pembangunan Generasi Muda, Sukan, Kebudayaan & Pembangunan Usahawan negeri, Amirudin Shari berkata, slogan #KitaLawan yang mewakili kontinjen negeri ke Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) 2016 di Sarawak juga akan diubah.
"Teguran itu kita ambil perhatian yang sangat serius.
"Kita menerima cadangan supaya menghasilkan satu slogan yang lebih baik dan bersemangat membawa kontinjen negeri Selangor, tetapi dalam semangat yang sama, ingin memartabatkan sukan di Selangor," katanya kepada pemberita di Holiday Villa di Subang Jaya.
HD says: When this was first highlighted by Malay Mail, certain parties were in the defensive and insisted there was no need to change the slogan. But they quickly changed their tune when the Sultan spoke. Daulat Tuanku!
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