Wan Fayhsal told to check his facts first when issuing political statements.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh has taken a swipe at Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia youth chief Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal over his suggestion that she use her “ministerial powers” to cancel the concert by Taiwanese superstar Jay Chou on Jan 15.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal had earlier today urged Yeoh to do so as 21,000 seats would be unavailable for football fans who attend the 2023 AFF Cup semifinal match between Malaysia and Thailand at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium tomorrow.
The 21,000 seats would be unavailable due to the stage setup for the concert.
He had also questioned why the concert could not be held at the Axiata Arena indoor stadium instead.
Yeoh, in a tweet today, chided Wan Ahmad Fayhsal for his suggestions.
“It’s like this. Ministerial powers cannot be abused. The Jay Chou concert is part of a world tour and 45,000 tickets have already been sold.
“The Axiata Arena can only accommodate 13,000 people.
“When issuing political statements, we should always check our facts first,” she wrote.
Wan Ahmad Fayhsal, who is the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia youth chief, had questioned why the Jay Chou concert was being given priority compared to the national football team.
He had urged Yeoh to use her “ministerial powers” to remedy the situation.
“The minister has to use all the powers at her disposal. Sacrifice the concert by this Taiwanese artiste to enable the people who want to watch the Harimau Malaya in action,” he said in a statement.
Social media users were quick to point out the flaws in Wan Ahmad Fayhsal’s argument.
Twitter user @AkramZakaria noted that the Jay Chou concert organisers had booked the venue almost four years ago in 2019, and that the concert, which was supposed to have been held in 2020, had been postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“They booked the venue in 2019. In fact, you were the special officer of the Youth and Sports Minister at the time,” he wrote.
User @ibnu_sukri95 asked Wan Ahmad Fayhsal if he had considered the repercussions of any breach of contract.
“So, after this, we should print a ton of money to settle a lawsuit for breach of contract? Is that how it is?”
Another user @IvarCripple wrote: “He’s actually asking the minister to break a legally binding contract.”
@kanjiro1922 wrote: “If the minister interferes and forces the stadium to break the contract, no companies would want to do events in Malaysia ever.” – NST
Earlier report:
Jan 6, Hannah Yeoh explains reduced AFF Cup seats for Harimau Malaya-Thailand clash