A Failed Government Focused On Buying Political Support By Appointing A New Deputy Tourism Minister But No Rescue Plan For The Tourism Industry That Lost RM100 Billion Last Year.
Recently the hashtag #KerajaanGagal trended amongst social media users angry with the PN government that is so obsessed with political survival, that PN have utterly failed to address the 3 political crisis of escalating COVID-19 cases, chronic political instability and no quick recovery from the economic recession.
One of PN’s greatest failures is the lack of any rescue plan for the tourism industry that lost RM100 billion last year.
Instead, PN is more focused on buying political support by appointing Senator Guan Dee Koh Hoi as the new deputy minister of tourism, arts and culture.
Can Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin explain what special qualities this new Deputy Minister can bring into the government that will save the beleaguered tourism industry, when the current Minister of Tourism appears impotent to do anything?
Tourist associations’ appeal for government help have fallen on deaf ears. For instance, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) complaints about policy flip-flops on U-turns on the COVID-19 SOPs and Movement Control Orders restrictions are not being addressed.
What we have witnessed instead is shameful double standards, with the ordinary rakyat being punished with severe fines of up to RM10,000 and RM50,000 for companies, whilst Ministers are dealt with leniently or escaped unpunished.
The Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) facing rising numbers of hotel closures, are still waiting for government assistance for 2021, in the form of an extension of the wage subsidy programme, a higher subsidy for tourism, extension of the exemption of tourism tax and sales and service tax (SST), fee and levy waivers for the tourism for hotels and 50% electricity discount until the end of the year.
Where has all the RM622 billion in economic stimulus package and the 2021 Budget gone then?
Muhyiddin can only admit that the government was running short of funds despite spending RM622 billion that has not helped to slow down business closures and save jobs. This has raised deep suspicions about the disbursement of such funds amongst the public, that cannot be answered following the unconstitutional suspension of Parliament.
The Tourism Ministry must be relieved that they do not need to account for their poor performance from MPs unhappy with the loss of jobs and business from a critical sector. Is the PN government unconcerned about the survival of the tourism industry, where the Gross Value Added of Tourism Industries(GVATI) contributes up to 15.9% of our country’s GDP in 2019?
That is why it is important for Parliament to reopen so that the pain and sufferings of the rakyat, not just from the tourism industry, can be heard and addressed. Unfortunately, political survival trumps people’s economic livelihood until everything can reopen except Parliament, all MPs can be vaccinated but they are still not allowed to meet.
Lim Guan Eng
DAP Secretary-General
