PUTRAJAYA (April 25, 2013): Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek has lambasted PAS vice-president Datuk Husam Musa for saying the "A Million Youth Gathering" would be postponed should Pakatan Rakyat come into power.
Ahmad Shabery said the youth festival is an important event and no where else in the world is an administrative capital given over to youth to allow them to display their talents and creativity for the rakyat and policymakers.
"He (Husam) has not attended the festival so he does not understand it.
"(I believe) he has simply read news reports that may appear to be negative but he has not seen the good aspects of this festival," Ahmad Shabery told the media at his ministry.
He said the festival from May 23 to May 26 will proceed as planned and all booths have been booked.
"There will be more than 500 events happening and people will benefit from it," he added.
In a press conference earlier, Husam had said Putrajaya residents were against the hedonistic nature of the festival.
He also said the ministry had frozen the Youth Economic Fund (YEF) for three years citing lack of repayment from borrowers.
"If there was a shortage of funds, how could the ministry have afforded to hold the 'A Million Youth Gathering' in Putrajaya in 2012, spending RM32 million for the programme?" Husam asked.
He claimed the cost of the festival this year would be about RM20 million.
"This programme does not give impact at all to youths. The ministry paid a lot of money just to get international artistes to perform."
Husam said if Pakatan Rakyat were to form the next government, it would postpone the festival and make YEF available again.
To this, Ahmad Shabery questioned why similar funds had not been set up in Kelantan, although the federal government had provided allocations for youth programmes.
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