Ramasamy picks a bone with Hannah Yeoh over her shallow knowledge of FAM’s affairs

 

Editor’s Note: This can be deemed a ‘milder’ sequel to yesterday’s (Oct 7) ‘more hard-hitting’ piece entitled “Ramsamy Wants Heads of Saifuddin, Hannah Yeoh to Roll in FAM’s Naturalisation Scandal”.

YOUTH and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh’s remark that FIFA’s (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) 19-page judgment on FAM was a wake-up call is most regrettable and pathetic.

I didn’t expect such a kind of wishy-washy statement from Yeoh who happens to be the minister in charge of sports including football.

It is plainly obvious that Yeoh is not in the know of what is transpiring inside the FAM (Football Association of Malaysia) and what led to FIFA’s imposition of fine on the federation and seven players, including their 12-month suspension.

How can FIFA’s allegations of the false or doctored documents that lied about the origins of the seven players from Argentina, Spain, Netherlands and Brazil be dismissed as a mere technicality?

By all means FAM can appeal against the decision of FIFA but the fact remains the documents adduced by FAM was found to be fraudulent.

‘Rot started in NRD’

The question is who is lying: FAM or FIFA. How can Yeoh dismiss the dishonest attempts by FAM to secure the compliance of FIFA for the seven players can be just considered as a simple act of omission.

Either Yeoh despite being the sports minister is not knowledgeable about the state of football in the country or simply her ministerial jurisdiction does not extend to football.

Recount that Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail, too, at first defended the naturalisation documents submitted by FAM as something authentic without he himself realising that the same documents were submitted to FIFA later.

Lately, the National Registration Department (NRD) director-general has admitted that the documents furnished by the seven players were not original in nature.

These were the same documents furnished to FIFA. In fact, the rot started in NRD before it was extended to FAM.

Without FIFA’s systematic inquiry, the veracity of the naturalisation process of the seven players would not have been determined.

In other words, all the seven players who were born in foreign countries were not eligible for citizenship.

Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh (Image credit: Hannah Yeoh/Facebook)

Demanding deportation

It was the submission of false and unverified documents that resulted in their citizenship.

Rather than taking FAM and NRD to task, Yeoh rather engages in advising them to take lessons in the football fiasco.

Is Yeoh ready to demand the deportation of the seven players for cheating and misleading the NRD?

Maybe Yeoh should find out who were responsible for fast tracking the citizenship application of the seven players in the first place.

Hundreds and thousands of eligible persons in the country are waiting for their citizenship yet the NRD doesn’t even bother to keep them informed of their status.

All of a sudden seven players – maybe there are more – are fast tracked on the citizenship path. The same documents were used to obtain the consent of FIFA.

There is something rotten in this country where even third and fourth rate players from foreign countries are made citizens overnight.

The present scandal is not about football per se but how government agencies are disgracefully functioning under the so-called reform government. 

Former DAP stalwart and Penang deputy chief minister II Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is chairman of the United Rights of Malaysian Party (Urimai) interim council.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.

- Focus Malaysia