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FOUR months ago, Malaysian squash player Sivasangari Subramaniam emerged as London Squash Classic champion, the second to do so in nine years after her predecessor Nicol David.
The 25-year-old’s sensational victory left the squash fraternity speechless. Sivasangari was crowned Athlete of the Month by The World Games following her spectacular title-winning run at the London Classic.
She went into the event ranked 16th in the world but was bent on creating history. She did so by defeating World No.1 Nour El Sherbini in the quarterfinal, World No.4 Nele Gilis in the semifinal and World No.2 Hania El Hammamy in the final at Alexandra Palace.
How did Malaysia react to Sivasangari’s stupendous success? Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim offered a congratulatory note. The agong, state rulers, politicians, corporations, and civil society organisations remained indifferent.
This youngster’s achievements deserve a spot in the country’s history pages given her dedication and commitment to make Malaysia proud.
It was just two years ago when Sivasangari suffered life-threatening injuries in an accident in Kuala Lumpur and missed out on the Commonwealth Games. Mobility issues in the neck left her wondering if it was all over.
That was 2022. Sivasangari has since won two gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games as well as the PSA World Tour Bronze-level Hong Kong Football Club Open.
To the unitiated, these details are mundane. To an athlete who was close to facing disability, every victory is miraculous.
So why has Sivasangari not made the cut as far as brands go, i.e. a face to inspire and a force to be reckoned with?
Why has Nestle Malaysia shied away from endorsing Sivasangari as an ambassador for Milo, its most popular product? Has Nestle decided that only one race is worthy of acknowledgement to promote its beverage? Is the drink only for one particular race?
Giving priority to the dominant race smacks of hypocrisy given the overwhelming success achieved by Malaysian athletes of Indian and Chinese ethnicity.
There is no denying most advertisements in Malaysia are tone-deaf towards Indians in particular. Has this to do with the model’s or athletes’ skin colour?
Why have billboards not celebrated Sivasangari’s astounding achievements? Has the Education Ministry appreciated this Cornell University graduate’s “never say die” attitude in bouncing back from a near fatal crash? Clearly not.
So why then the fuss over the Malaysian contingent’s attire for the 2024 Olympic Games inauguration in Paris, which did not reflect the country’s diversity?
The designer opted for a Malay look i.e. gold-hued attire featuring baju kurung with a headscarf for women and baju melayu teluk belanga for the men, as if only something based on Malay traditional clothing would do.
Perhaps it has all to do with the overkill by the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim-led Madani government in trying to portray Malaysia as all things Malay.
Still, how did Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh neglect Malaysia’s status quo of being a multiracial nation vis-a-vis the Olympic Games attire?
The Olympic Games have no relevance to race, colour, or creed. It is a sporting event. So why must Malaysia constantly harp on driving home the fallacy that Malaysia is Islam and Islam is Malaysia?
That the Malaysian government has brazenly transported its racial agenda to a podium that venerates success regardless of colour is simply unbecoming. – July 31, 2024.
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