Abd Karim: Issues plaguing SBA not affecting Sarawak badminton team for Sukma XXI

KUCHING (June 15): The issues within the Sarawak Badminton Association (SBA) would not affect the state badminton team’s participation in the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma XXI), this August.

In giving this assurance, Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah also said his ministry would continue to look after the state shuttlers, and would not allow anyone to cause problems or disturb the team.

“It (SBA’s crisis) will not have a direct impact. In fact, there were also squabbles like this in other sports associations before such as wushu and swimming.

“This is normal.

“We will still send our badminton team (to Sukma).

“This association can be established by anyone and the state and ministry are not involved in the association, but I am monitoring.

“As the minister in charge of sports, I want to see sports being developed,” he said when met by reporters after accompanying the Yang Di-Pertua Sarawak Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and his wife Toh Puan Fauziah Mohd Sanusi in the couple’s visit to the Borneo Cultures Museum today.

Abdul Karim, who is also the state Minister of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, was commenting on a news report about Nathan Laing Sim being reinstated as SBA president following a decision by the Kuching High Court.

Sim, in a statement, said on May 17 this year, the Kuching High Court Judge ruled in favour of eight applicants in a judicial review application against the Sarawak Sports Commissioner, the Malaysian Youth and Sports Ministry, and three officials of SBA.

Sim said the court further ordered that the extraordinary general meeting (EGM) held on Set 18 2021, and the annual general meeting (AGM) held on Oct 3 2021, organised by the applicants were valid and therefore, the decision effectively returned the legitimate leadership to president Sim, secretary Johny Ng and treasurer Robert Lau, as well as restoring the membership of seven affiliates.

Adding on to the matter, Abdul Karim regarded it as ‘an internal problem of the association’.

“Personally, I see this about someone wanting to take over the association, and we respect the court’s decision.

“It does not involve us (the ministry) at all because SBA is registered under the Sports Commissioner’s Office,” said the minister.