THE NATIONAL polo team manager has defended Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s inclusion in the team for Kuala Lumpur SEA Games,

Bernama quoted team manager Mohamad Zekri Ibrahim as saying that it was honour to have Khairy on board and that the minister was an experienced polo player.

He said Khairy had played in international polo matches before he became a minister; and like other athletes, the Rembau MP also went through a strict selection process to earn a spot in the team.

“This week, he had played twice in the Malaysia Open and we noticed that his fitness and performance level enabled him to be in the team for the SEA Games this time.

“He has also shown a strong commitment during training in Pekan. Khairy’s participation with his strong and disciplined character will boost the national polo team’s morale and spirit in the games,” he reportedly said.

Zekri’s comments yesterday came after Johor Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim wrote a Facebook post that mentioned “politicians who wanted to be celebrities and sportsmen”.

The prince wrote: “It has become a place where politicians are wanting to be celebrities and sportsmen. Where a person who can’t ride a horse or play polo can be selected to represent the country. Where individuals who don’t even go for proper military training can become a general. A country where the institution is slowly losing its identity.”

He did not mention names but it was understood that the paragraph was directed at Khairy.

It was reported recently that the popular Umno Youth chief has been picked for the national polo team for the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games. He will be the first minister in the region and Malaysia to take part in the biennial games.

Khairy also became the first minister to be promoted to brigadier-general in the Territorial Army last year. The promotion was effective from January 2015. – July 10, 2017.