The Bukit Jalil National Stadium was packed with 60,000 music fans on Saturday, 28 January, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail.
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Hanis Nadiah Onn, a member of Malaysia’s women’s national hockey team, has been prohibited from competing for her nation in international events for an undetermined period. This was in response to her recent racist remark concerning the AR Rahman event, which took place on January 28, 2023, at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. This implies that she will also be excluded from the women’s team squad for the Southeast Asian Games (SEA) 2023, which will be held in Cambodia from May 5 to May 17, 2023.
On February 7, 2023, a meeting was held to discuss the matter between the Malaysian Hockey Confederation (KHM) and the Investigation Committee of the Malaysian Sports Council (MSN). The issue centered on remarks made by Hanis, a national hockey player, on the social media site Instagram regarding the performance of the musician and composer AR Rahman. The Investigation Committee, co-chaired by MSN Director General Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail and KHM President Dato’ Sri Subahan Karnal, called Hanis for an interrogation session to cooperate with the investigation. The 26-year-old acknowledged making racist comments on the post during the session.
The committee found Hanis guilty of making comments that could be misconstrued or created misunderstanding, annoyance, or anger in another person and violating the MHF’s code of ethics. According to the statement posted on Twitter, the investigating committee has concluded that MHC mustn’t consider Hanis for any overseas assignments, including the Cambodia SEA Games. If Hanis exhibits positive behavioral changes, MHC will reconsider the decision. The Ministry continued by saying that it does not support any racial remarks made by athletes.
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The Bukit Jalil National Stadium was packed with 60,000 music fans on Saturday, 28 January, including Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and his wife, Wan Azizah binti Wan Ismail. The ‘Secret of Success’ concert highlighted A R Rahman’s 30-year musical career. Popular Malaysian singer Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza, who shared the stage with Rahman, claimed that it was one of the most memorable nights of her life.
In a comment on Kosmo Online’s Instagram post on the famed Indian artist’s concert, she stated that the stadium would have been extremely smelly due to a large number of Malaysian Indians present. Her comment stated, “Bau best lah kat dalam tuh (using a face with tears of joy emoji)”, according to a screenshot on a Malaysian subreddit group. Her statement translates in English as “The smell there must have been best.” For background, it should be noted that Malaysians have a stereotype of Indians as being smelly.
Hanis delivered a public apology the next day, January 29, the very next day, after being pointed out. She addressed the remarks in her apology, claiming that she was aware of how her remark had affected many individuals and that she has subsequently taken measures to erase the offending message. The field hockey player has represented Malaysia in numerous international events such as the Commonwealth Games 2018, Asian Games 2018, Southeast Asian Games 2017, etc.
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