Bersatu man condemned for making racial slur againts national athlete

4 Okt 2021

Oleh Nur Syafiqah Abdullah

KUALA LUMPUR: A man believed to have held a high-rank position in the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) Pasir Puteh division was condemned for issuing a racist statement against national badminton player S Kisona yesterday.

Borhanuddin Che Rahim's racist Facebook posting after Kisona lot to a Japanese player in the Sudirman Cup semi-final match in Finland went viral yesterday.

After receiving public backlash, he took down the posting and issued an apology statement for the distasteful remarks before resigning from his position as deputy chief.

Among those who were appalled by the incident was the Badminton Association Malaysia (BAM). The association in its Facebook said: "As the governing body of the sport in this country, BAM has zero-tolerance of any form of racism or discrimination thus we absolutely condemn the remarks, and we will always stand up for our players."

"Such a dreadful remark is uncalled for, and we urge all Malaysians to condemn this senseless act.

"BAM will continue to fight for the eradication of racism in sports, especially in the realm of badminton. We continue to uphold all initiatives that support progressive and inclusive nation-building.

Malaysian actor-comedian Harith Iskander who also spoke up against the untoward event called the act "pure stupidity".

He said the posting needs to be a message to all to step up and realise that the nation still has a lot to work on in terms of race relations and kindness.

Meanwhile, the MIC Youth was said to have yesterday lodged a police report against Borhanuddin and called on other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to do the same.

Kisona is one of the women badminton players the Badminton Association of Malaysia is grooming for Paris 2024 Olympics