Former youth and sports minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and his then deputy Steven Sim have accused Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob of lying in claiming that Pakatan Harapan neglected athletes' welfare when it was in power.
"We would like to express our disappointment with Ismail Sabri's irresponsible remark that the athletes' welfare was neglected under Harapan rule.
"Each of the welfare plans and policies for athletes was made together with the ministry team. Unfortunately, just because he wants to be poltical, such an effort was belittled by the prime minister," they said in a statement.
The duo pointed out that under the Ismail Sabri administration, the allocation given to the ministry was reduced.
This came after the premier yesterday said the government will continue to help national athletes, address their critical needs, and support the National Athletes Welfare Foundation's (Yakeb) mission, unlike what occurred under the Harapan administration.
Ismail Sabri was speaking at Yakeb's annual general meeting where he also announced an RM3 million allocation to the foundation for the year.
"What’s the prime minister’s response to the reduced allocation for the ministry that had fallen to RM622 million in 2022 during the Umno-BN rule from Harapan’s RM1.2 billion in 2019?
"He cannot wash his hands easily. When Ismail Sabri was appointed as a senior minister, BN and Perikatan Nasional marginalised Yakeb," they said, adding that many former athletes needed help during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Syed Saddiq (above, right) and Sim added that an allocation of RM3 million was given to Yakeb during Harapan’s time, which benefited 2,742 athletes.
"Why didn't the PN and BN governments give an annual allocation of RM3 million to Yakeb in 2020 and 2021 like Harapan did in 2019?
"The reality is that the PN and BN governments were not with the athletes as they claim. The welfare of athletes was the priority of the Harapan administration. Many more big agendas were planned before the government changed hands.
"Our message is clear - the prime minister should not lie to the people," they stressed.
Other Harapan efforts
Apart from Yakeb's allocation, Syed Saddiq and Sim said the Harapan government allocated up to RM10 million for lifelong medical services for former athletes, RM30 million sugar tax for sports development and secured more private sponsorship for athletes.
They also named the establishment of the athlete centre at the National Sports Council and the strengthening of the Athlete Career and Education programme, among several other efforts.
"This was among the success stories of our joint effort in the ministry.
“It is very unfortunate that such a great effort has been thrown away without any recognition from the prime minister," they added. - Mkini
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