A voice of reason: Shabery Cheek

12 Oct 2010: Bernama runs a report titled "CWG: Don't Create Issues Out Of Athletes' Attire - Shabery". Quote:

Ahmad Shabery said the latest criticism was the attire worn by weightlifter Aricco Jumitih when competing and winning the gold medal in the 62kg category, since the Sabah athlete was wearing the Sabah state attire which did not reflect the country’s image at an international event.

He said such criticism was negative and athletes should not be blamed or crucified based on their attire. (my emphasis)

“I was made to understand that weightlifting is a very sensitive sport which involves various sensitive elements like food, attire and environment. Sometimes if an athlete is not comfortable with another attire, he may not be able to perform well.

“Maybe what he was wearing was the most comfortable attire for Arrico during the competition and he proved it right by winning the gold medal. What is the point of wearing the ‘right’ attire and losing compared with winning with an alternative attire,” he told reporters here today.

He's clearly a pragmatist. He's see's things as what they are, not what the style is. He's one of the few rare Malaysian's in a corridors of power who can actually see substance over style.

Between Zainuddin Maidin and Rais Yatim, he was the better Information Minister. It was he who put into motion the modernization of RTM. If he was just given more time he might have brought the national broadcaster into the 21st century instead of being out of touch with contemporary Malaysia. [1] RTM would be dragged kicking and screaming, certainly, but at least dragged forward instead of being frozen in time.

[1] I find it very disturbing that RTM is so out of touch and so frozen in time. The strings attached to it notwithstanding, any national broadcaster needs to be reflect the contemporary nature of the society they have a mandate to cover. And that includes things the private networks will never cover.

For a Australian perspective, see David Salter in Adrift in a neo-con fantasy land.