KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 12 — Youth and Sports (KBS) Minister Hannah Yeoh is relieved with the continued trust to remain heading the ministry.
She said the relief was because Deputy Minister Adam Adli Abd Halim and herself continued to be given the opportunity to lead KBS after a Cabinet reshuffle which has been a hot topic in the last few months.
2024 is an important year for youth and sports, with the Rakan Muda programme and the 2024 Paris Olympics becoming KBS’ main focus.
“Felt relief as the people have been talking about a Cabinet reshuffle for months; now we can move on and continue with our work,” Yeoh said at the appreciation ceremony for the national squad for being crowned champion of the 2023 World Amateur Golfers Championship at Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club today.
At the same time, she does not intend to introduce any new programmes and will instead empower existing programmes, apart from ensuring KBS’ sports incentives fully benefit Malaysians.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced the appointment of five ministers and deputy ministers, including four new faces and the reappearance of five former ministers in the Unity Government Cabinet.
Meanwhile, commenting on her request that Badminton Asociation of Malaysia (BAM) president Tan Sri Mohamad Norza Zakaria reconsider his decision to resign from the post by the end of this year, Yeoh said this is because of the synergy built in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme.
Speaking as the RTG co-chairman alongside Norza, she said his involvement in RTG as BAM president had a positive impact, especially in badminton, which formed the majority of athletes in the programme aiming for Malaysia’s first Olympic gold.
“I believe if there is new leadership, there will be no problem, just the synergy (that has been built) because we are only a few months away (Paris 2024). That is why I, as co-chairman, ask him to reconsider his decision,” Yeoh said.
The minister added she did not want to interfere in BAM’s administration and instead left it to Norza and the association to discuss and make a decision about her request.
— Bernama
