Pandelela (right) with squash darling Nicol David and badminton star Lee Chong Wei at a sports dinner at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, recently. — Picture courtesy of Peter Minos
KUCHING: President of Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA) Datu Ik Pahon Joyik and its former president Datuk Peter Minos insist that the country’s diving queen Pandelela Rinong be bestowed the datukship ‘over and above’ the incentives and rewards due to her and her family.
“I don’t think the datukship is an issue because it is ‘over and above’ all other forms of incentives and rewards for Pandelela and her family. She definitely deserves it because for her bronze medal in London Olympics in 2012, the state government bestowed her the Johan Bintang Kenyalang (JBK) which is a rung below the datukship,” Ik Pahon said when contacted yesterday.
Ik Pahon further said the award of datukship should not be made an issue as precedence had been created with the conferment of datukship to the country’s badminton ace Datuk Lee Chong Wei and squash queen Datuk Nichol Anne David.
“Age should not be seen as a major factor for the conferment of datukship because it is based on merits which they have achieved at their respective sports’ highest level.”
He hoped that Pandelela’s parents would also be rewarded with some kind of incentives as they have been very supportive of their daughter’s progress and achievement in her sporting career.
“Without their support and encouragement she would not be where she is today.
“As I understand it, a diver would reach the peak once one reaches 25. Now that Pandelela is 23, this may be her last outing in the Olympics,” said Ik Pahon, who is also permanent secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
Similarly, Minos reiterated that since Pandelela had already received the best incentives for both her career and education, as she’s now with the elite Bukit Jalil Training Centre as well as in China, and concurrently pursing studies at University of Malaya, the next thing for her was the datukship award.
“Less we forget in future, she should be bestowed the title when she returns from the Olympics. After all, the award should be seen as the ‘icing on the cake’ for her great achievement at the highest sporting event on Earth. She is the country’s heroine,” said Minos, who is also chairman of Bung Bratak Heritage and Walikota of Samarahan.
Ik Pahon and Minos said this in response to comment from several quarters that the datukship title should be the last thing she receive as she still had a long way to go. They also hoped that Pandelela would be able to win a medal in her pet event – 10m individual diving on Aug 18.
For her achievement Pandelela and her diving partner from Perak, Cheong Jun Hoong, would share the RM300,000 cash incentive as well as a monthly pension of RM3,000 each for life for the silver medal.
Early Wednesday morning, Pandelela and Cheong made history by bagging the country’s first medal in the Rio Games.
Pandelela-Cheong scored a total of 344.34 points after five dives at the Maria Lenk Aquatics Centre.
Still in third place after the third dive, the Malaysian pair upped the ante to finish strongly behind China’s Chen Roulin-Liu Huixia who won the gold medal with 354.00 points. Canada’s Meaghan Benfeito-Roseline Filion settled for bronze with 336.18.