KUALA LUMPUR – Putrajaya’s decision not to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games has been praised by social media users, some of whom showed their anti-colonial feelings.
Some X users said the Games were an unnecessary sporting event, arguing that Malaysia ought to be more independent from Britain.
“A country ‘independent,’ yet joining the Commonwealth, for what? A country ‘independent,’ yet following the British system, for what? Open your eyes; you need to realise this ongoing deception,” said X user @ummarfzl.
“The Commonwealth Games should be abolished. What’s the point of having sports for British colonial territories?” asked @aziznawi24.
Others said the Games had lost its relevance since most participating countries were independent of Britain.
Several also agreed that hosting the Games would further damage Malaysia’s economic state.
“It would’ve been the dumbest decision to bring the Commonwealth (Games) to Malaysia, especially in this economy. Thank God for some good sense in the government’s mind,” said X user @Harissyaz.
“That’s great. Let’s focus on the nation’s sports with the people first instead of organising this Commonwealth event. Good move,” said @NajmiHaziqHanis.
A few, however, felt it was a missed opportunity.
“It seems that the Malaysian government is not willing to take the risk of hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2026, despite being offered financial assistance. My dream of becoming a Commonwealth Games volunteer is shattered,” said @Muslaidi Mahmod.
“Please reconsider this decision and give the younger generation the opportunity to serve in the Commonwealth Games,” he added.
“We were able to do it in Tun Mahathir’s era; why can’t we do it now? Probably afraid to take risks,” said @Ashraf Sinclair.
Yesterday, Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced the government’s decision to reject the offer by the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) to host the 2026 Games.
The decision was made at the cabinet meeting yesterday, taking into account all aspects of organising the Games and their implications.
“The cabinet noted that the CGF’s offer of £100 million (RM603 million) was deemed insufficient to cover the extensive costs associated with organising such a large-scale sporting event,” said Yeoh.
“The Madani government thanked the CGF for offering to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games. However, at this point, the government wants to focus on sports development as well as the welfare and wellbeing of the people.” – March 23, 2024