Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman said his office has yet to receive the official protest notice from its Indonesian counterpart demanding Malaysia apologise over the alleged assault of an Indonesian last week.
He said police are still investigating the incident, subject of a 48-second video being circulated online.
The viral video alleged a group of Malaysians had attacked an Indonesian supporter following Malaysia’s 2-0 victory over Indonesia in the 2022 World Cup/2023 Asian Cup qualifiers at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.
“I have apologised but I understand they (Indonesian government) have said they have requested a formal apology, but till now, my office has not received any official notice.
“I see it (the protest notice) have been made viral on social media. When I receive it, I will officially respond,” the minister told reporters at Parliament lobby today.
He was asked to comment on Indonesia’s request for a formal apology, a copy of the letter was uploaded by the Republic’s Youth and Sports Ministry (Kemenpora) on Twitter last Saturday.
Selamat siang sobatpora, selamat berakhir pekan! Sob, kemarin (22/11) Kementerian Pemuda dan Olahraga telah melayangkan Nota Protes kepada Kementerian Belia dan Sukan Malaysia. Dalam surat tersebut Kemenpora menyampaikan beberapa poin, yaitu :
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According to the letter, the ministry’s secretary Gatot S Dewa Broto expressed disappointment at the incident involving the mistreatment of Malaysian fans after Malaysia won in a match between the two nations at the Bung Karno Gelora Stadium in Jakarta in September.
Syed Saddiq’s then counterpart Imam Nahrawi (below) formally apologised over that incident.
However, in the recent case, Malaysian police have since established that the assault seen in the video did not take place at the National Bukit Jalil Stadium.
Instead, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Huzir Mohamed claimed the incident occurred in Bukit Bintang around 2am, the day before the match, and it has been classified as a robbery case.
The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur has identified the alleged victim as Fuad Naji, who lodged a police report several hours before the football match.
The embassy also claimed that Fuad had lost his passport in the incident and is understood to have returned to Indonesia.
Syed Saddiq today told reporters that police were still investigating the matter and urged those with knowledge of the matter to come forward to aid investigations.
The minister had previously urged Indonesian supporters not to believe the video, which he described as a “hoax”.
He then uploaded another video on Twitter yesterday and apologised.
Syed Saddiq said authorities were still trying to ascertain if the incident was in any way linked to football.
“Regardless, the case involved an Indonesian citizen,” he said in the video.
Saya memohon maaf.
Setakat ini, kami masih perlukan semua pihak untuk bantu siasatan yang sedang dijalankan.
Saya akan pastikan keadilan milik semua, tidak kira dari Malaysia atau Indonesia.
Saya akan pastikan pesalah diheret ke muka pengadilan.
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Meanwhile, Kemenpora, on its official Twitter page, today uploaded an image of Gatot meeting with a man it claims to be Fuad.
In a series of tweets, the ministry said Fuad narrated the alleged assault in which he claimed that he and a friend - identified only as Yovan - were attacked by 15 to 20 individuals and that the incident appeared “planned”.
“He (Gatot) also assured that Kemenpora will collate data to support the investigation process. Should Fuad and Yovan be called in by the Malaysian police, they will receive the assistance of the Indonesia Embassy,” the tweets read. - Mkini
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