Why is ‘bad girl’ Hanis playing in women’s MHL?

Why is ‘bad girl’ Hanis playing in women’s MHL?




Star hockey player Hanis Nadiah Onn was back in action on Thursday, hours after her expulsion from the women’s national team over a racist jibe she made on social media.

Her indefinite ban became a joke when she was allowed to represent the Negri Sembilan team, NSE, in this year’s women’s Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

How is it that an athlete, who was punished in the interest of the public, gets to don state colours in a national championship?

You would think the 26-year-old bad girl of hockey would have been banned from club duty, as well, if racism is to be taken seriously.

She should be doing community service rather than being on the pitch over her “smelly” taunt on Instagram against the Indian community that sparked a massive backlash.

Her apology for making the racially-charged remark over the recent concert by music maestro AR Rahman at Stadium Bukit Jalil does not, for her sake, warrant an immediate return to the sport.

There’s a risk her presence in the MHL will be divisive and cause her to be ruthlessly mocked again.



Lucky for her that NSE’s win against Uniten Thunder in the MHL Charity Shield escaped public attention, mainly because women’s hockey in the country is not popular.

The government and sports bodies are always banging on about how important it is to attract young people from all ethnic backgrounds to sports, but this is a case of failing to face up to a wider social responsibility.

This is why the authorities should review their stand over Hanis because she sets no kind of example to anyone, other than demonstrating she is worthy of “special treatment”.

Malaysian Hockey Confederation (MHC) president Subahan Kamal told New Straits Times that Hanis’s remark had violated the body’s etiquette code and marred its image and that of the national team.

He said: “She was found guilty of insulting, condemning or cursing another party, (elements) which could cause a misunderstanding, annoyance or anger.”

Why then did MHC, which governs hockey at all levels, allow her to play in the MHL?

Why didn’t the National Sports Council (NSC), which had jointly found Hanis guilty, insist on her ban at club level as well?

The MHC and NSC said they will re-evaluate her progress from time to time but have yet to provide details about the process.

Hanis obviously did not realise her role as a national athlete who should lead by example. How did it come to that?

Are we looking at the symptoms to treat the cause? Decisions should not be based on assumptions.

The youth and sports ministry must make a commitment to study the prevalence of this sort of bias among national athletes.

What have we done to educate athletes about respect from the outset, as early as possible?

It has to be done early in their lives so that it becomes a way of life to respect other people, whether it is race, gender or other differences that may exist.

We have to do things beyond just punishing an athlete because we are partly at fault.

In the meantime, the authorities need to direct Hanis, Asia’s most promising player in 2016, to the door to serve a proper punishment.

That’s not being hard on her, that’s caring for her.