As a country that boasts a multifaceted community made up of a wide spectrum of races, religions and cultures, we Malaysians recognise the importance in the values of both mutual respect and understanding.
Unfortunately, a lack of both has led to a maelstrom of controversy to swarm around former Malaysian national shuttler Bong Guang Yik, when he shared a number of racist sentiments about the local badminton scene.
Former M’sian badminton player called out over racist remarks
In his Douyin (Tiktok) video, Bong, who now coaches in China, aired his grouses about the lackluster development of the Malaysian competitive badminton scene. Taking aim at the Badminton Association of Malaysia in particular, he claims that much of it had to do in part with the organisation’s Malay top management members and their religious practices.
Alleging that the organisation would only prioritise their resources for Dato’ Wira Lee Chong Wei, he said that BAM simply did not care to nurture future talent. What’s more, Bong inferred that BAM was poorly managed owing to the fact that there are Malays currently working in positions of top management.
“If you let Malays work in management, they will need to pray 5 times a day.
Where will they have time to manage BAM? This is why the management and the system in BAM is so poor, causing the weakening of local badminton players.”
He goes on to suggest that the Malay members of top management in the organisation should be replaced with Chinese ones, if improvements are to be seen.
“I suggest replacing Malay members of top management in BAM with Chinese ones, see if that will improve things.
Because in my eyes, Malays are lazy and only know how to eat. Why? They pray five times a day, so why would they be interested to improve BAM management? Why would they care about improving the future of Malaysian badminton?”
Following the video going viral on social media, Bong courted much ire among Malaysians who did not hold back from calling him out over his racism.
Hannah Yeoh says sports should be free from racial & religious interference
In fact, the matter has even attracted the attention of incumbent Youth and Sports minister YB Hannah Yeoh. Taking to her Facebook, she shared that the concerns Malaysians have against Bong’s racist remarks regarding Malays in the local badminton scene.
“I’ve checked with the National Sports Council of Malaysia and BAM and they’ve both confirmed that the man is no longer a national player. He was a former BAM trial player in 2014 and currently does not reside in Malaysia”, she said.
Hannah has also said that the remarks he made does not reflect any truth and reassured Malaysians that their religious beliefs have nothing to do with the performance of the athletes in Malaysia. Reiterating her stance, she insists that sports must be free from elements of religion and race, cautioning local athletes to exert caution while uploading any social media statements.
“Sports should always be free from religion, racial and political interference. As our national athletes are a source of inspiration to many, I would like to remind them to always be careful of uploading content to social media.”
Following her response, many Malaysians have commended her for her swift response over the issue, and agree that sports should unite and not divide the nation.
“This is the best response, YB. It’s fast and straightforward.”
Tap here to give us a ‘Like’ on Facebook and stay up-to-date on the latest news!
