Deputy minister denies cronyism as Bersatu Youth members fill all 13 posts

Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Steven Sim (above) has defended the appointment of Bersatu Youth members as state sports development coordinators.

“The appointments were done by following existing public service procedures.

“I feel there is no problem with what group, organisation or party they come from,” he said when asked by the media in Bukit Jalil today.

Pressed if the appointments were discussed with him or Pakatan Harapan component parties, Sim sidestepped the question and repeated his stance.

“As I said before, the appointments were done based on existing public service procedures.

“There is no need to question their backgrounds,” he stressed.

Sim declined to elaborate when asked if the move suggested cronyism.

A ministry letter announcing the appointment of 13 sports development coordinators (pegawai penyelaras sukan), one for each state except Sarawak, was recently shared on social media.

Dated Aug 19, the letter stated that the officials were tasked with coordinating sports development programmes in their respective states, with a focus on paralympic sports.

The 13 coordinators were slated to report for duty at their respective state Youth and Sports departments on Aug 21.

Umno Youth’s Tebrau division later shared on its Facebook page an image purportedly of all 13 officials along with their names and Bersatu Youth positions. 

It questioned if the appointments constituted “cronyism” and urged the MACC to investigate Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman over the move.

Syed Saddiq is also the Bersatu Youth chief.

Sim had stepped in for the minister at the last minute today for a briefing with potential investors for the upcoming Malaysia Sports Challenge programme. 

Questions regarding the matter directed to Syed Saddiq in his WhatsApp group with members of the media were unanswered. - Mkini

✍ Credit given to the original owner of this post : ☕ Malaysians Must Know the TRUTH

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