KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9 — Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has admitted his mistake in organising the gala dinner in conjunction with the Global Travel Meet that sparked controversy recently.
During the Minister’s Question Time at Dewan Rakyat today, he also expressed regret over the controversy of serving alcoholic beverages at the dinner, which caused discomfort among the people.
"I and Motac (Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry) are deeply sorry for any confusion or misunderstanding that caused discomfort among the people. Any inconvenience is deeply regretted.
"I should have announced that night that the gala dinner had become a private function. I admit my mistake for not announcing it (not an official government programme) earlier,” Tiong said.
He was responding to Dungun MP Wan Hassan Mohd Ramli's query on the ministry’s guidelines to ensure that official functions, including those sponsored by the private sector or industry, comply with Service Circular 3/2003, especially the ban on serving alcoholic beverages in official government programmes.
Tiong also stressed that Motac views all public feedback on the issue seriously and appreciates the constructive criticism and advice of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on the matter.
It also assured that it would continue to ensure every official engagement from now on complies with government guidelines.
Responding to Sri Aman MP Datuk Seri Doris Brodi's supplementary question on the impact of the Global Travel Meet, he said the event successfully attracted the participation of nearly 600 tourism industry players from abroad.
The three-day event also recorded RM420 million in overall transactions.
