NATIONAL diver Pandelela Rinong has unwittingly found herself caught in a row between Sarawak’s Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, her legion of fans and politicians seeking the limelight in the run up to the state election.

The furore was sparked by Karim’s reaction to suggestions on how to reward the 28-year-old two-time Olympic medallist for winning Malaysia’s first-ever Fina diving World Cup gold medal, this year held a few days ago in Japan.

There were suggestions that Pandelela should be made a datuk, in a similar fashion to national squash player Nicol David, in recognition for her contribution to national sport.

When Karim reacted with comments that it was not always good to over-reward an athlete each time they win something, he was immediately accused of belittling Pandelela.

Karim said, while Sarawak will reward her in monetary terms, making her a datuk was a different ball game altogether.

He said a title would not only spoil her but put her in an awkward position among her young friends and peers who might be conscious of her new status.

Karim said it would be very difficult for her to interact normally with her friends.

DAP member Brolin Nicholsion disagreed. He waded into the row by telling Karim that age should not be a factor when appreciating a person for the services he or she had given.

He said it is more so with someone like Pandalela, who had contributed to the sport and national prestige since she was 15.

Karim, Nicholsion said, should instead question the awarding of titles to people whom Nicholsion said had contributed nothing to the country.

Sarawak People’s Aspiration Party president Lina Soo saw Karim’s comments as “his own way of rewarding our athletes and sports champions – that is to brush away all accolades and requests from members of the public”.

Soo said Karim’s comments that too much reward will spoil her and deny her enjoyment of her sport was just too flimsy a reason.

“It takes years and years of dedication and tons of sacrifices for a sportsman to reach the top in the international arena and be champion.

“Hard work, pain and even tears are part of an athlete’s lonely journey to the top. While her peers and other youths are enjoying themselves at their prime, Pandelela has to spend years of her life with endless dives at the pool.”

In a whiff of politics, Soo said the achievements of national athletes like Pandelela are unlike “Malaysian politicians, who can be made overnight and be rewarded with fat salaries, government-linked company positions and ministerial positions instantly”.

The reaction in the social media was equally vociferous.

A Facebook account in the name of ‘Otto Steinmayer’ took the opportunity to hit out at the “bigshot bigots” who he said have “never done anything in their lives and they want to dump on a Dayak woman who made it big by her own work and her own talent”.

Another Facebook user going by the name ‘Philip Tero’ suggested that Karim was racist in his objection.

“He could had (sic) said something more sensible… to hide the hideousness (of) what actual he wanted to say and mean…

“This is real selective indicator… if she is not ‘lain-lain’... then the story very much sounds like ‘dan lain-lain’, he said in reference to the race category found in federal government forms. – May 7, 2021.