Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman speaks during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur November 9, 2019. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 9 — Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman today said that the ministry will take over the Terengganu chapter of the National Sports Council (NSC), if a news report claiming that the state has banned female gymnastics, is proven to be true.
Taking to Twitter today, the Muar MP said he would not tolerate such action against athletes.
“If true, KBS will take over control of MSN Terengganu & absorb their young aspiring athletes who are discriminated.
“I personally will meet up with the athletes affected to ensure that their future in gymnastics will not be compromised,” he tweeted.
Syed Saddiq later lamented to the media that the Terengganu government’s stand on the matter is confusing.
“They told me that they’ll allow for the gymnasts to participate in Sukma. That they will be taken care.
“But at the same time, insisting something else when asked by the media. Uncertainty kills talents,” Syed Saddiq told reporters via his ministry’s WhatsApp channel.
Sukma refers to Sukan Malaysia, which is a biannual national multi-sport event
Malaysia’s women’s rhythmic gymnasts won eight gold medals in the 2017 Sea Games. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA: Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman says he will be meeting gymnasts in Terengganu to ensure their future in the sport in the wake of a report that the state was cutting back on recruiting female gymnasts.
Syed Saddiq said he will be holding a meeting to settle the issue, adding that if it does not get resolved, his ministry will intervene to ensure the future of Terengganu female gymnasts.
“They told me that they’ll allow for the gymnasts to participate in Sukma (Malaysian Games), that they will be taken care of. But, at the same time, they’re insisting on something else when asked by the media,” he said.
Channel News Asia reported today that the Terengganu Gymnastics Association, which also trains athletes from schools, said they were following guidelines issued by the state government.
Terengganu Youth, Sports and NGO Development Committee chairman Wan Sukairi Wan Abdullah was quoted as saying that the guidelines were implemented in stages to avoid appearing “radical” or for the people to view the state as an “extreme state like the Taliban”.
Syed Saddiq said on Twitter that he would not tolerate such things, adding that, if true, his ministry will take over stewarding the “discriminated” athletes from the Terengganu sports council.
“I personally will meet the athletes affected to ensure that their future in gymnastics will not be compromised,” he added.
In September, the Terengganu state government said a shariah-compliant code of conduct for athletes was being drawn up while the state was withdrawing from certain sports events because they did not conform with Islamic rules.
Wan Sukairi further said the state government was forced to withdraw from rhythmic gymnastics and women’s gymnastics as they required athletes to expose their bodies and had “arousing” movements.
This sparked the National Sports Council to criticise the state government, saying it was unacceptable for Terengganu to assume that the skills and techniques displayed in such sports were “arousing”.
CHINESE online retail titan Alibaba hopes to raise up to US$15 billion (RM62 billion) in a Hong Kong initial public offering, said a report today, in what would be the city’s biggest listing in nine years.
The share sale by Asia’s biggest company would also come as Hong Kong authorities battle months of sometimes violent protests that have dented the financial hub’s economy and reputation.
SINGAPORE police are investigating a YouTube star from Hong Kong who allegedly organised a gathering to discuss the protests in his home city, a potential violation of tough public assembly laws.
Singapore’s elite are increasingly nervous about the unrest in rival financial hub Hong Kong, observers said, as they feared it could inspire demonstrations in the tightly controlled city-state, where protests are rare.
The Raja Permaisuri Agong talking to popular singer Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin at the opening of the fertility centre.
PETALING JAYA: Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah spoke out today on her trials and tribulations with pregnancy.
At the launch of Alpha IVF & Women’s Specialists, a fertility centre today, Tunku Azizah addressed her 10-year journey of conceiving four children through in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and various other fertility treatments.
“I am not ashamed to tell and share to the world all the problems and difficulties I had with getting pregnant,” she said.
“You yearn for a child and face the world asking you when you are going to have a child. You have to bear the stigma where women are always blamed. Now at least there is gender equality in that men also get blamed.”
Tunku Azizah acknowledged the success rate for IVF treatment back then was very low.
“There is hope nowadays. Back then, the success rate was only 20%.”
Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah with several children during the opening of the Alpha IVF & Women’s Specialists fertility centre.
Dr Colin Lee, the founder of Alpha IVF Group, said the price for the treatment varied, according to the requirements.
“The first visit is RM100 or RM200 and payment depends on the complexity.
“Some just require fertility tablets and that will cost around RM60.
“Those who need more complicated treatment like IVF will have to pay more, ranging from RM14,000 to RM30,000.”
He said the success of the treatments also depended largely on a woman’s age.
“If a woman is aged 35 and below, for one session of IVF treatment, they can expect a 60% to 70% chance of getting pregnant.
“If a woman is in her late 30s, for one session of IVF treatment, the chances of pregnancy will be a little bit lower at around 50%.”
Sales of vehicles dropped 6% from a year earlier to 1.87 mil units. (File pic)
BEIJING: China’s car-market gloom continued in October as the traditional post-holiday demand peak failed to materialise, leaving automakers with few easy answers to attract buyers back to showrooms.
Sales of sedans, sport utility vehicles, minivans and multipurpose vehicles dropped 6% from a year earlier to 1.87 million units, the China Passenger Car Association said Friday.
The decline was the 16th in the past 17 months, with the only increase coming this June as dealers offered large discounts to clear inventory.
The period known as “Golden September, Silver October” is typically strong for carmakers as consumers like to make big-ticket purchases during the harvest season. Not this year though, underscoring the depth of the historic slump the car industry is mired in.
Demand in the world’s biggest car market has been hurt by a slowing economy that’s made consumers curb spending.
Measures by the government to boost consumption have yet to help, leaving automakers’ profitability challenged and prompting industry insiders to predict mergers and market exits.
Global carmakers such as Volkswagen AG and Honda Motor Co have weathered the slowdown better than some other international brands, which are sputtering along with cheaper local companies due to the cooling demand.
Deliveries of local brands fell 12% in October, the PCA’s secretary general Cui Dongshu said Friday.
Chongqing Changan Automobile Co, a local partner of France’s PSA Group, said last month it plans to sell all of its shares in a 50-50 joint venture after the assembler sold fewer than 4,000 DS cars last year in the country.
China’s hundreds of aspiring electric-vehicle makers are also struggling to convince buyers that it’s worth paying higher prices than opting for cheaper gas guzzlers.
Electric-car sales fell for three straight months through September, as the government — after spending billions of yuan to nurture the industry — scaled back subsidies.
The PCA said Friday that deliveries of new energy vehicles to dealerships slid 45% to 66,000 units last month.
Warren Buffett-backed BYD Co, the country’s biggest maker of new energy vehicles — all-electric, fuel-cell and plugin hybrid cars — last month reported an 89% slump in third-quarter earnings and warned profit could fall as much as 43% this year.
BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co, China’s biggest maker of all-electric automobiles, also forecast a 2019 loss in a grim earnings update.
China’s Vehicle Inventory Alert Index stood at 62.4% last month, the second-highest level this year, signaling dealers face rising operational pressure, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association. A reading above 50% indicates high inventory.
Amid the gloomy picture, the silver lining lies with makers of luxury cars and Japanese brand vehicle makers such as Honda, which had a 6.5% sales gain in China last month.
Sales by Volvo Cars surged 27% in October to 11,083 units, according to the company. Industry wide sales of luxury brands rose 14% last month, according to the PCA.
Some analysts are also predicting a gradual stabilisation in the Chinese market as year-on-year comparisons become easier.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad speaks during a press conference in Putrajaya, November 8, 2019. ― Picture by Shafwan Zaidon
PUTRAJAYA, Nov 8 — Pharmaniaga Bhd will act as the interim concessionaire, to distribute drugs and medical supplies for the Health Ministry, for an additional 25-months, when their contract expires later this month.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dzulkefly Ahmad told a press conference that the Cabinet had decided that an open tender process would take place to appoint the next concessionaire company once the interim period is over.
Dzulkefly explained that the 25-month period was decided to avoid disruptions in services of procurement and distribution of drugs and medical supplies.
“We are giving ourselves 25-months for the ministry itself to be truly capable to do what has been done by Pharmaniaga.
“It could be earlier than 25-months, but we will be having the open tender ourselves,” he said.
Pharmaniaga has been the sole concessionaire for providing services such as warehousing and distribution of pharmaceutical and medical products, manufacturing of generic pharmaceuticals, marketing and sales; research and development.
Their concession contract ends on November 30.
Dzulkefly said the government had also decided to an additional five-year period with Pharmaniaga as the interim concessionaire company, if the ministry is still unable to handle the shift of duties after December 2021.
During this additional period, the company will function mainly to avoid disruptions in procurement and delivery services, while the ministry prepares and equips themselves to handle the tendering process themselves previously handled by Pharmaniaga.
