PETALING JAYA: Selangor Ruler Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has ticked off critics who picked on the sports attire of national artistic gymnast Farah Ann Abdul Hadi.
In a congratulatory letter to Farah Ann, the Selangor Ruler said she had made not only the whole country proud but Selangor as well.
“Criticising your attire should be the last matter in the minds of those who commented negatively on social media.
“They should be celebrating your achievements for Malaysia and Selangor,” he said in the letter handed to her yesterday.
Farah Ann received the letter from an Istana Selangor official and was accompanied by her father Abdul Hadi Ahmad during the meeting which lasted about half an hour.
The 21-year-old athlete was picked on for her supposedly revealing competition attire after winning two gold, a silver medal and three bronze medals at the recent 2015 Singapore Sea Games.
Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin slammed the critics as hypocrites and said the issue smacked of sexism.
Khairy posted on Twitter that the letter was “great support for Farah from Sultan of Selangor”.
“Tuanku rightly tells her to ignore the bigots,” said the Rembau MP.
Sultan Sharafuddin hoped that Farah Ann would not take the comments made against her by narrow-minded people to heart and continue to strive to be the best in her field.
“Malaysia’s future lies in the younger generation like you and the rakyat must support them to excel instead of giving negative comments.
“I am sure it must have taken years of hard work, dedication, determination and long hours of training to reach the level that you have achieved,” the Sultan said.
In an immediate response, Farah Ann told The Star that she was touched and felt humbled by the Sultan’s gesture.
“I would like to express my highest gratitude towards the Sultan of Selangor for taking his time to write me the letter,” she said.
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