KUCHING, Sept 26: Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Dato Sri Tiong King Sing has clarified that he raised the issue of non-Muslims being prohibited from buying alcohol and wearing shorts in Langkawi with the intention to better Malaysia’s tourism industry, not to penalise Kedah.
He said he raised the questions to get the attention of Parliament following complaints from tourists, so that all parties may work together to correct the shortcomings of Malaysia’s tourism industry while at the same time, minimise the negative impact on the nation’s tourism sector.
“I would also like to reiterate my position that what I raised is solely to improve and fix the weaknesses that exist in the tourism industry across the country, not just concentrated in certain states like Kedah.
“We cannot deny existing weaknesses, including leakages and abuse of power certain parties are trying to exert for their own interests. We all need to play our part so that undesirable incidences detrimental to the country will not be repeated,” said Tiong who is Bintulu MP in a press statement in response to Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor.
Tiong took the opportunity to challenge Sanusi to go to the ground, where the latter will find out that the issues Tiong brought up truly existed and they have become more serious.
He believed that both Sanusi and PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang should work together to seek solutions to promote state development instead of repeatedly releasing arrogant statements that adversely impacted the tourism industry which may lead to weakening Kedah’s economy.
Recently, Tiong was reported to have said that several non-Muslim tourists were harassed by some officials in Langkawi over their attire and alcohol consumption.
Sanusi refuted Tiong’s claim, saying that these complaints were unfounded and that the Kedah government would not look into the matter. — DayakDaily
