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Tiong: Industry players 'took over' gala dinner from Tourism Malaysia
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing has reiterated that the gala dinner held in conjunction with Tourism Malaysia’s Global Travel Meet was taken over by industry players, not organised or funded by his ministry.
Tiong told Malaysiakini that his critics - including from PAS and Umno - are welcome to inspect the event’s billings to verify that no taxpayers’ money was used on alcoholic beverages served that night.
Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing has reiterated that the gala dinner held in conjunction with Tourism Malaysia’s Global Travel Meet was taken over by industry players, not organised or funded by his ministry.
Tiong told Malaysiakini that his critics - including from PAS and Umno - are welcome to inspect the event’s billings to verify that no taxpayers’ money was used on alcoholic beverages served that night.
“We did initially inform the industry players that we were also organising a gala dinner.
“But on the second day, they came to us saying they wanted to take over the (dinner) event because they wanted to express their appreciation to the investors,” he said.
The minister explained the dinner was fully funded by the private sector, following the success of the Global Travel Meet, which generated some RM420 million in economic impact through collaborations between foreign travel agents and their Malaysian counterparts.
“They were interested, and we said, ‘Okay, you take over everything’,” he said.
‘I’ve done my best for the nation’
Tiong declined to comment further on calls from PAS and Umno leaders urging Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to sack him over the issue, stressing that the event was not a government function.
“I’ve already done my best for the nation. Why do we want to create this issue, politicise it, and make it about religion?
“If things go on like this, who would want to come to Malaysia? If you’re a tourist, would you want to visit Malaysia after seeing this kind of behaviour?” he said.
Yesterday, Tiong dismissed Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin’s allegations that alcoholic drinks were served at a government-hosted dinner, reiterating that it was a privately funded event that industry players organised.
Earlier today, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari insisted that since the event was listed on Tourism Malaysia’s official website and scheduled as part of the official programme, the government still bears responsibility for its content.
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