KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — The person or persons responsible for coining the controversial “#KitaLawan!” slogan for next year’s Malaysia Games (Sukma) should apologise to Selangor folk, Utusan Malaysia’s editors said today.

Writing as Awang Selamat in the daily’s weekend edition Mingguan Malaysia, the editors labelled the episode an embarrassment to Selangor, although they admitted to not knowing who was directly to blame for the mess.

“Awang isn’t sure whether the idea had come from (Selangor) Mentri Besar Azmin Ali or others.

“(But) whoever who came up with the slogan should apologise to the people of Selangor for embarrassing them.

“Do not prostitute sports for dirty and cheap politics. If you want to play politics, do so elegantly, within limits and be wary of the people’s sensitivities,” the editors said.

The Umno-owned daily also offered to provide Selangor a list of slogan ideas “for free”, if the state does not have ideas of its own.

It added a reminder to the state that sportsmen should not be thought to be the same as participants in the “wild” demonstrations often organised by PKR.

In a speech on Friday, the Selangor Sultan urged for a change to the motto to prevent the coming sporting event from being “tainted” by politics.

In his address at the Selangor Sports Awards ceremony, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah stressed that sports should be a platform to unite different races, especially youths, and should not be politicised.

“This is because the ‘Kita Lawan’ slogan has been adapted by a political party,” the state ruler said according to a copy of his speech made available to Malay Mail Online.

“Therefore I do not want the public to misunderstand or think that the Selangor contingent is trying to mix sports with politics,” the ruler added.

Yesterday, Azmin said he has ordered the state’s executive councillor for sports to discuss the Sultan’s request to change the slogan, which is similar to the one used for the series of political rallies demanding the release of jailed PKR leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar is currently serving a five-year jail sentence after the Federal Court on February 10 upheld his conviction for sodomy.