Pandelela shows her gold medal after the women’s 10m platform final at the FINA Diving World Cup and test event for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre on May 5, 2021. — AFP photo
KUCHING (May 10): Several senior Bidayuh leaders gave their backing to a call made by a group of Bidayuh political and community leaders for national diving queen Pandelela Rinong to be rewarded for bringing honours to Malaysia and Sarawak.
Education, Science and Technological Research Minister Datuk Amar Michael Manyin described Pandelela as a rare sports talent in the country whose achievements at the international stage would never go unnoticed.
“I totally agree with what this group of Bidayuh political and community leaders are saying, for Pandelela to be rewarded accordingly for her recent achievement of winning a gold medal at the 2021 Fina Diving World Cup.
“She started in this sport at such a tender age, with her parents labouring hard to ensure she succeeds. While her peers were busy attending tuition, she was busy training and training. She is where she is now today due to the sheer dedication and many sacrifices made,” he said.
He also said Pandelela had been rewarded with incentives from the government for her previous accolades including a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics in London and silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. Even the State Aquatic Centre was named after Pandelela, he added.
Meanwhile, two other senior leaders Datuk Roland Sagah and Datuk Wilfred Nissom concurred that Pandelela should be accorded with a Datukship title in recognition of her sporting achievements similar to several other renowned national athletes.
Sagah, who is Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Native Land and Regional Development, said it is timely to accord Pandelela with such honorific title when she is still at the peak of her form in the sport.
“To me, at the age 28 now, that maybe is her peak. Giving her Datukship will make us, especially the younger generation, remember her achievements and contributions to the country,” he said.
He added that Datukship title is appropriate for Pandelela who is now seen as a role model among the younger generation, stressing that other states also honour their outstanding sports talents with similar titles.
Nissom, a former president of Dayak Bidayuh National Association (DBNA), said he believed Pandelela deserves the Datukship title because winning a gold medal in a world sports event is no mean achievement.
“Pandelela has triumphed in the world arena that has been dominated by athletes from the powerful and wealthy nations of the world. The fact that this achievement was made by an individual from a small rural community is an enormous boost to the morale of other Malaysian sportsmen and women.
“Pandelela’s triumph is an inspiring light which proves that it is the individual’s dedication to training and the individual’s will to achieve that carry one to spectacular success,” he said.
Nissom, himself a former assemblyman and a former political secretary to the chief minister, also stressed that Pandelela’s record of achievement so far has proven that the recognition and the rewards she has been given did not spoil her.
“But instead, they had spurred her to a greater achievement for her country,” he said.
Pandelela, a 28-year-old lady hailing from Kampung Jugan in Bau, on May 5 secured Malaysia’s first ever gold medal in the FINA Diving World Cup in Tokyo, Japan after topping the women’s individual 10 metre platform final.
Up next for Pandelela and her national team mates will be the Tokyo Olympic Games scheduled for July 23 to August 8.
Earlier, a group of Bidayuh political and community leaders called for Pandelela to be rewarded for the gold medal won at the 2021 FINA Diving World Cup as this would be extra motivation for her and also to inspire the younger generation to achieve similar feat internationally.
They also pointed out Pandelela had sacrificed a lot in order to be at the top level, and therefore should be accordingly accorded with rewards and incentives in recognising the sacrifices made to bring honour to the country.
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