KUALA LUMPUR — Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh questioned the actions of Paralympic Council of Malaysia (PCM) president Datuk Seri Megat D. Shahriman Zaharudin, who alleged that the food served to Malaysia’s Paralympic athletes in Paris was linked to a deviant sect.
Shahriman claimed the athletes were unknowingly fed by Nur Malaysia, a restaurant associated with Global Ikhwan Services and Business Holdings Sdn Bhd (GISB), which faces accusations of abuse, exploitation, and deviant practices.
GISB is reportedly a rebranded entity of Al-Arqam, a movement previously banned by the Malaysian government.
When this issue was brought to the Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), Hannah did not refute Shahriman’s claims directly.
Instead, she questioned his motives for going to the media without first contacting the ministry.
“He has my phone number, he was with me in Paris, and he is part of the Yakeb (National Athletes Welfare Foundation) board. He is involved in this system,” she said.
“If he had any issues to raise, he could have called me. Instead, he chose to report this through Scoop, and the news was covered by Scoop,” said Hannah at a press conference today at Bukit Jalil.
Since the Malaysian Paralympic contingent’s return from Paris, Shahriman has made several controversial statements.
He accused the National Sports Council (NSC) of interfering in the contingent’s management, which he claims contributed to Malaysia’s failure to meet its target of four gold medals.
Additionally, he claimed that NSC had bullied the contingent leader, Datuk R Subramaniam, and disrespected him.
However, NSC director-general Abdul Rashid Yaakub defended the council and asserted that the allegations made are unfounded. — October 23, 2024