Hannah Yeoh came dressed for the occasion on her first day as Malaysia’s new Youth and Sports Minister.
Wearing a black jacket, dark blue jeggings that stopped just short of her ankles, a white top and white sneakers, a smiling Yeoh clocked in at 8.22am at Menara KBS in Malaysia’s administrative capital, Putrajaya.
On her first day in office, the Segambut MP, previously a deputy minister in the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, has no plans to introduce new programmes until she has had time to study the current ones.
“I did not expect to be named Youth and Sports Minister. I never thought I would be picked to be the Youth and Sports Minister. Some have said that I am too old to be a youth minister. I am only 43, and there have been several ministers before me who were older,” said a confident Yeoh.
“I am a mother and know how youths think. I was a youth once and took part in sports when I was in school.
“I was elected MP of Segambut. While campaigning, I engaged with the youths and heard what they had to say.”
She defended her appointment by saying that it is about policies.
“If you are the defence minister, it does not mean that you are good at handling weapons or fighting,” she joked.
“It is about creating policies that hopefully will help our athletes excel.”
Although unable to give definitive answers to several questions posed – including the goings-on in sports associations during her inaugural press conference this morning –Yeoh revealed her five ‘pillars’ for the ministry.
The first is to make sports accessible to all. The second is to create a safe space for national athletes.
That includes looking into the Safe Sport Act initiated by her predecessor, Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu.
She also pledged to take care of athletes’ welfare, saying “I have been hearing a lot about that”.
The fourth is a promise not to introduce any new programmes unless necessary.
“After being briefed by ministry officials, I will spend time speaking to the stakeholders – athletes and coaches,” said Yeoh.
“We will review the ongoing programmes. Those that are good, we shall retain, and if there are some that need replacing, we will do so.
“When we review, sometimes it means cutting the budget, and other times we may have to increase it.
“What is important is continuity. The Olympics is less than two years away. Everyone is hoping we finally win gold in Paris.”
Her fifth pillar is to focus on the youth. That would mean coordinating with other ministries to ensure a “restoration and rehabilitation” programme to ensure they have a bright future.
“I do not want youths, who think that they are not good in studies, to think that there is no future for them.
“There are many opportunities available, and I want to help as many of them as possible,” added Yeoh.
