By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Oct 7: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC) has pledged to ensure all its programmes adhere to established guidelines and ethical standards, following Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ‘stern warning‘ over the serving of alcohol at a recent dinner linked to Tourism Malaysia’s Global Travel Meet.
In its statement, the ministry acknowledged the prime minister’s remarks and expressed regret over the confusion and misunderstanding that had arisen from the incident that caused public discomfort.
“The ministry will learn from this incident to avoid repeating it, as well as ensure that any programme implemented under it adheres to the guidelines and ethical standards that have been set,” it said.
On Saturday (Oct 4), Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin posted a video on Facebook questioning the serving of alcoholic beverages at a government event, which she claimed breached cultural and constitutional norms.
Tiong denied the claims, stating the dinner was a private industry initiative, not a government function.
He explained that Tourism Malaysia was only responsible for organising the Global Travel Meet, and the dinner was organised by private sector partners to celebrate Malaysia’s first global travel event of its kind.
Following the incident, Anwar issued a warning to Tiong and his ministry, as well as to the Cabinet and Putrajaya’s machinery against negligence when it comes to the prohibition of serving alcohol at government events. — DayakDaily
