KUALA LUMPUR, March 9 — Former Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman welcomed his successor, Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican and his new deputy, Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal into their new portfolio.
“Congratulations to YB Reezal Merican Naina Merican and Wan Fayhsal on their appointment as Minister and Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports.
“Do your best in your responsibilities and serve well for the future of youth and sports of the country!’’ Syed Saddiq posted on Twitter.
In another Facebook post, former deputy youth and sports minister Steven Sim said while Pakatan Harapan is at odds with the new Perikatan Nasional administration, he hopes that Reezal would consider their policies as what they had continued with Barisan Nasional, for the benefit of youth development and sports.
Sim explained that he and Syed Saddiq had put on a focus on athletes’ welfare such as lifetime healthcare and remuneration, among other initiatives.
In the posting, Sim also lauded the efforts of female athletes who have worked hard to elevate the country’s reputation in sports at the international level.
“One of the things I am proud of when I serve in the ministry of youth and sports is to see for myself the hard work, diligent effort and bittersweet struggles of Malaysian female athletes.
“True, all athletes do work hard and sacrifice everything for the sake of the nation. However, female athletes sometimes have to work harder to showcase their talents and to find the right funds for their struggles.
“The focus of Syed Saddiq and I is to ensure that our athletes, including female athletes, can give their full attention to the struggle, without having to worry about training facilities, their future, their lives and so on,’’ he said.
Reezal had served before in former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s Cabinet as the deputy minister for foreign affairs, while Wan Ahmad Fayhsal is also the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia Youth international relations bureau chairman and Syed Saddiq’s former aide.
