KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johari clarified that the RM10 million sports complex planned for Bandar Puteri Jaya in Kuala Muda is not a new project nor a special allocation he secured after joining the Cabinet, but an ongoing initiative he has been advocating for since 2023.
Speaking at a New Year’s Eve event in Sungai Petani last night, Taufiq said talk of the complex predates his appointment and involves long-standing engagement with sports officials and community representatives about the district’s infrastructure needs.
“This is a project I’ve been pushing for ever since I first became an MP. It’s been announced several times before, and we’re now at the stage of actually getting it built.
“The talks about this sports complex actually started back in 2023, right when I attended my first Parliamentary session,” Bernama quoted him saying.
According to Taufiq, he has also raised the issue several times in Parliament, including during a special session addressed by the then Deputy Minister of Works, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, to get an update on the project’s progress.
“So, I was simply clarifying the status of an ongoing project, not announcing any new approval,” he said.
The announcement of the RM10 million sports complex has drawn criticism from some quarters who suggested it was politically timed to bolster his profile in his own parliamentary seat ahead of the 16th General Election.
Senior sports analyst Pekan Ramli told Scoop that such perceptions could undermine confidence in national sports planning if the project appeared motivated by electoral considerations rather than broader sporting priorities.
Earlier reports said the complex is intended to deliver organised, holistic sports facilities for local youth and the wider community and will be funded through federal allocations once planning and agency approvals are completed.– January 1, 2026