Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
SIBU: The Sarawak government and its agencies do not differentiate between rural and urban areas when it comes to promoting sports, said Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah.
Instead, the Sarawak government has been putting sports and development of youth highly, as reflected in Sukma Games and MSSM where the Sarawak contingent is always feared by the other states, he pointed out.
“Despite our vast landmass, we have been able to organise sport events like Sukan Sarawak where all divisions in the state are able to compete and develop their athletes. Deputy Minister Steven seems unaware of all this,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Abdul Karim was asked to comment on Youth and Sports Deputy Minister Steven Sim’s statement that the federal government aimed to put more emphasis on sports programmes for rural communities in the country as part of efforts to inculcate healthy lifestyle.
Sim had said in the past, youth and sports-related programmes tended to centre around urban areas, meaning those living in rural settings often did not have the chance to take part in such activities, adding that the previous government might have neglected sports and youth programmes in rural areas.
“However, we in the Pakatan Harapan government want to reach out to the rural communities,” the Deputy Minister said.
On this, Abdul Karim, who is the Asajaya assemblyman, said: “It is either the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports is ignorant of what is going on in Sarawak, or he is not well briefed by officers of his ministry or he chooses to play politics.
“His statement that in the past, sports and sports related programmes are only centred in urban areas and that the previous government neglected sports programmes in the rural areas reflects his shallow knowledge of his ministry’s and agencies’ sports programs.
“My advice to him, get your officers to brief you properly and do not come to Sarawak not fully prepared with the right facts.
“For the record…Sarawak government and its related agencies do not differentiate between rural and urban when it comes to promoting sports events.
“We have sports facilities, stadiums, sports complexes and so on, whether in Kuching or in the bigger towns or in towns like Belaga, Kapit, Sarikei, Betong, Asajaya, Saratok, Bau, Mukah and others. It is through sports facilities like this that we have been able to produce world class athletes like Pandalela Rinong, Jonathan Ngepa, Watson Nyambek, Sapok Biki, Grace Wong, Quenie Ting, Junaidah Russ, Lisa Ludong, Joseph Kalang Tie, Edmund Yeo, among others.”
Abdul Karim added: “I feel deeply offended by stupid statements like this which is political in nature and my advice to him…Don’t come to Sarawak if you have ulterior motive of running down the state and the good things that we do.
“No doubt, Sarawak is a big state and putting up many sports facilities is an enormous task…but we have managed to do it with our ‘Politics of Development’. We don’t need a deputy federal minister who hardly knows the state coming over and telling us that our rural areas are being neglected! How many times have you stepped foot in Sarawak…more so in the rural areas?”