Righting the wrong: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh (second from left) speaking to the press as (from left) National Sports Council director-general Jefri Ngadirin, Cheah Liek Hou and 99 Speedmart COO Yong Eng Kwang look on. — YAP CHEE HONG/The Star
PUTRAJAYA: It takes guts for an athlete to speak up not just for himself, but for others – and credit goes to Paralympic Games badminton champion Cheah Liek Hou for doing just that.
The 37-year-old is glad he stood firm and fought for the rights of all para athletes in the reward dispute with the Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM).
His bravery was rewarded when 99 Speedmart stepped in to ensure he and his fellow medallists received the incentives they deserved for putting Malaysia on the world map at the Paris Paralympics last year.
Both Liek Hou and powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin received RM35,000 each for their gold medals.
Silver medallists Abdul Latif Romly, Ziyad Zolkefli also received RM15,000 each while Eddy Bernard, who won bronze, was given RM7,000.
As one of the seniors in the team, Liek Hou said he would continue to stand for what he believed was right and hoped the incident would not be repeated.
“As a senior, I have a bigger voice and this is the mindset I’ve set for myself,” said Liek Hou.
“If I didn’t voice out, these things would keep happening to the junior para athletes.
“I’ll try my best to represent all para athletes to solve any problems.”
He had called out the PCM via social media for not giving him RM60,000 incentive as promised for capturing gold in the Paris Paralympics.
And by voicing it out, and stating that he felt scammed, it led to the PCM wanting to ban the shuttler.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, though, intervened on behalf of Liek Hou and PCM agreed against suspending him.
Liek Hou thanked the 99 Speedmart for stepping in to support him and the other medallists.
“I want to represent all the Paris Paralympics medallists and thank 99 Speedmart for giving this special incentives for us,” said Liek Hou during the incentive ceremony at the Youth and Sports Ministry in Putrajaya.
“They have given us the remaining incentive that we did not get earlier. We really appreciate this reward. Bonnie and I received RM10,000 from PCM in April. Then last Thursday, we received RM25,000.
“So, in addition to the RM35,000 given by 99 Speedmart, we finally have the RM60,000 promised to us,” added Liek Hou.
Liek Hou then expressed his hope that PCM will follow guidelines set by the Youth and Sports Ministry on agreements on sponsorships next time to avoid similar issues in the future.
“As athletes, our careers are not long. I will be retiring in a few more years,” said Liek Hou.
“All these incentives and bonuses from the government and private companies are all the support we need.
“Hopefully, this issue won’t crop up again in the future.
“As YB Hannah said, we need to have agreements with companies that come forward to give incentives.”
