Kisona incident a lesson to all, says deputy minister

KUALA LUMPUR: The racial slur incident involving national badminton player S. Kisona should serve as a lesson to all Malaysians that such remarks should not be uttered against one another, says Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Seri Ti Lian Ker.

"We hope this incident will not be repeated in future. Let us inculcate the spirit of sportsmanship in Keluarga Malaysia," he said during his winding-up speech on the 12th Malaysian Plan (12MP) in Parliament on Thursday (Oct 7).

Ti said sportsmanship involved the principle of mutual respect, and Malaysians should practise it in their daily lives.

"Bring these values to all segments of society and foster the spirit of togetherness through sports," he added.

Meanwhile, Ti said racial slurs against athletes were uncalled for and the ministry condemned racist behaviour.

"We hope the people will not make comments that may hurt our national athletes who have fought hard for the country at international level," he said.

P. Prabakaran (PH-Batu) stood up and thanked Ti for emphasising the concept of unity through sports in his speech.

"We hope this will be a lesson. Don't use race in sports. Sports is about quality, not skin colour," said Prabakaran.

In response, Ti said the Kisona incident involved the actions of an irresponsible individual that does not reflect the character of a political party.

"Whatever it is, let's not politicise an issue to stoke the flames of anger. We must take heed of this incident and Keluarga Malaysia will not allow this to happen again," Ti added.

On Monday (Oct 4), Pasir Puteh Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia division deputy chief Borhanuddin Che Rahim received brickbats from Malaysians after posting a racist remark about Kisona.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin confirmed that police are investigating the matter after several reports were lodged against Borhanuddin, who has since resigned from his post and issued a public apology.