The five Pakatan Rakyat state governments are outraged that the Youth and Sports Ministry excluded them from a recent high-powered Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) council meeting and are demanding an explanation from Youth and Sports Minister Ismail Sabri Abdul Yaakob over the matter.


 
 In a joint statement released today, the five state governments of Penang, Selangor, Perak, Kedah and Kelantan criticised the ministry's "unsporting" attitude and declared the meeting "illegitimate".
 
 
 
 The press statement was jointly released by the states' executive councillors in charge of youth and sports.
 
 
 
 They are Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, Penang's Lydia Ong Kok Fooi, Kedah's Hamdan Mohamad Khalid, Perak's Seah Leong Peng and Kelantan's Abdul Fattah Mahmood.
 
 
 
 The five states expressed regret that the ministry had smeared sporting activities with politics and said the minister had a moral obligation to inform them of the meeting and its deliberations.
 
 
 
 "Until today, the five PR states have not received the minutes of the meeting, nor been informed of the issues discussed, deliberated and decided," the statement said.
 
 
 
 In the statement released by Lyndia Ong, they criticised Ismail Sabri for chairing the council meeting on July 15 without inviting representatives from the five PR-governed states.
 
 
 
 Since Sukma is the biggest national sports meet in the country, they said it was imperative for the ministry to mobilise all states, whether ruled by Barisan Nasional or PR "to provide input and resources for the development of the nation's sports".
 
 
 
 "We demand a ministerial explanation to us and the public over our exclusion from such an important meeting.
 
 
 
 "This is discriminating, unfair and unjust to PR states. The meeting was indeed illegitimate without our presence," they jointly said.

'This is discriminating, unfair and unjust to PR states. The meeting was indeed illegitimate without our presence.'


Pakatan states fume at being excluded from Sukma meeting

~RM12

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