Pasir Mas MP Ahmad Fadhli Shaari has urged the Youth and Sports Ministry to withdraw the suspension of national women's hockey player Hanis Nadiah Onn over her alleged racist remark.
According to the PAS Youth chief, this is because the suspension could affect Hanis' future and affect the national team's chance of winning a medal in women's hockey in the SEA Games 2023 in Cambodia.
"I strictly condemn Hanis' suspension. The suspension is too harsh for her offence, more so when she has already publicly apologised for her posting and deleted it.
"The committee which investigated the matter has also acknowledged that Hanis has a humble and disciplined personality, and even her coach has said that Hanis has many Indian friends," he said.
This goes to prove that Hanis (above) did not have any ill-intention to play up racial sentiments as claimed by some netizens, said Ahmad Fadhli, who is also Kelantan Youth and Sports Secretariat director, in a statement today.
He was responding to a statement by the ministry earlier today that Hanis has been indefinitely suspended from representing the country over her alleged racist remark about the concert of famous Indian composer AR Rahman last month.
As a result of the suspension, Hanis will miss out on the SEA Games in May. According to the ministry, the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (KHM) will re-evaluate Hanis' suspension if she displays a positive change of attitude throughout the period.
Hanis got into a bind after leaving a comment on an Instagram post related to AR Rahman’s concert in Kuala Lumpur last month, implying that the venue must have been "smelly".
Following a backlash, she deleted the offensive post, posted an apology, and said that during her decade-long involvement in hockey, she was “surrounded by friends of all races who fought for Malaysia”.
Elaborating, Ahmad Fadhli urged Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh to intervene in the matter and urge for Hanis' suspension to be withdrawn.
"I'm confident that the minister will act wisely in handling this issue." - Mkini
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