The Selangor state government will take into account the suggestion by Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah to change the state contingent’s motto for 2016 Sukma Games.

 

Selangor exco member in charge of sports Amirudin Shari said the state government took the sultan’s reprimand seriously and will therefore come up with a better slogan.

 

“We take his reprimand seriously and will accept his recommendation to come up with a better slogan,” he told reporters after the state’s sports awards ceremony last night.

 

Amirudin’s response came after the sultan voiced his unhappiness over the state government’s decision to adopt ‘Kita Lawan’ as motto for the state’s contingent to the 2016 Sukma Games in Sarawak.

 

The sultan has beseeched that the motto was adopted from a “political party”. ‘Kita Lawan’ is the name of the movement campaigning to free opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who is currently serving a five-year jail sentence for sodomy.

 

Meanwhile, Amirudin stressed that the decision to adopt the motto was not finalised.

 

“The Sukma games will only be held next year, and usually slogans are decided at the last minute.

 

“It is just that the suggestion (for ‘Kita Lawan’), was published widely in the media as though it was a final decision,” he said.

 

The Batu Caves assemblyperson added that he, together with Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali, will discuss the matter with other sports associations to come to a consensus on the slogan to be used.

 

Second worst performance

 

Meanwhile, commenting on the dismal state of Selangor sports as lamented by the sultan, Amirudin conceded that the state’s performance in Sukma - the country’s key annual sporting event - was second worst last year, the worst being in 1990.

 

“But what’s important is how we develop comprehensive sports development programmes,” he said, adding that after taking over the sports portfolio last year, he had activated these programmes at the grassroots level.

 

“This will bring a better future for Selangor sports,” said Amirudin.

 

“(Also), I do not think it is the intention of the sports council is to achieve victories in a short time span. For us, it’s all about building a system which will develop the state’s future athletes.”