PUTRAJAYA, Dec 17 — New Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari said he intends to continue strengthening the initiatives put in place by his predecessor.
He described the efforts and plans carried out by the previous leadership as solid initiatives that have had a great impact on the country’s sports and youth development.
“Former Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh and her deputy, Adam Adli Abd Halim, have implemented very strong and excellent initiatives and my deputy and I will definitely continue their good work.
“Most importantly, with the assistance and support from the Ministry of Youth and Sports (KBS) secretary-general Datuk Dr Nagulendran Kangayatkarasu, who is highly committed, we will jointly develop KBS,” he said.
He told reporters this after he and his deputy, Mordi Bimol, arrived to officially start their duties by clocking in at Menara KBS here today.
Dr Mohammed Taufiq also hopes that the ministry would be able to collaborate across ministries with relevant agencies to strengthen the youth and sports agenda, particularly in efforts to build a sustainable Madani Malaysia.
“This is my first day, just got in here and I want to get briefings from the secretary-general, department heads and so on. After the briefings, I will state in more detail the initiatives we intend to carry out.
“So, give us some time. Insya-Allah, with the trust given by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to me and my deputy, and with the support of the secretary-general, I am confident we can elevate KBS to even greater heights,” he said.
Anwar announced Dr Mohammed Taufiq’s appointment last night as part of the Madani government’s Cabinet reshuffle to fill several vacant positions.
Meanwhile, the KBS, in a statement, expressed its appreciation to Hannah, who was appointed as youth and sports minister on December 3, 2022, and who had implemented numerous initiatives to strengthen national youth policies, high-performance sports development, as well as athlete welfare and ministry governance.
The ministry also expressed its appreciation to Adam Adli, who was appointed deputy youth and sports minister on December 10, 2022, adding that throughout his tenure, attention was given to strengthening the youth development ecosystem and youth involvement at the grassroots level.
“KBS also expresses its full commitment to continue cooperating professionally and in an integrated manner with the ministry’s new leadership to advance the national youth and sports development agenda, in line with the aspirations of the Madani government,” it added. — Bernama
