TOURISM, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing has called on states to try to be as independent as they can be in gathering funds to develop their respective tourism industries.
Taking to social media, he urged Perlis Menteri Besar Mohd Shukri Ramli to find ways to generate the state’s own funds instead of only waiting for the federal ministry to respond.
Tiong, who had prior to this sparred with Shukri’s counterpart in Kedah, Datuk Seri Muhammed Sanusi Md Nor, over tourism issues, said that Perlis should not wait for a response over its request for a RM4 million allocation.
It had sought the amount from the federal government to upgrade eight tourism landmarks in the nation’s smallest state.
Perlis is by reputation known more as “transit” states where domestic travellers would just pass through to head elsewhere.
Most travellers there are heading to Langkawi island or southern Thailand, with which it shares a border. Many are also on the way to or from Penang and the Klang Valley.
Many road travellers are known to stop in Perlis for a meal before heading towards southern Thailand through the Padang Besar border crossing or Kuala Perlis to board a ferry to Langkawi.
Despite this drawback, Shukri has announced that this year will see the “Visit Perlis Year” campaign to jumpstart an economic sector which can provide jobs and revenue to the state if done well, while there are spillovers such as when more hotels are established.
“I may sound harsh, but it must be stressed that writing a letter does not mean the ministry owes you anything,” Tiong said.
“The Perlis menteri besar must understand that as a leader, he must also liaise with other agencies, as it is equally important,” he added.
Tiong said that if Shukri just plays the waiting game, then the latter’s ability to govern Perlis comes into question.
Funds already given for campaign
Earlier, the ministry had allotted RM3.5 million to Perlis for its Visit Perlis Year 2024 campaign. Tiong stressed that the ministry is fair to all states when it comes to tourism development.
“If Perlis is truly marginalised, why has the state (already) been allocated funds?
“The ministry’s commitment to promoting the country’s tourism is steadfast. So, there is no need to make misleading statements,” Tiong said on his post.
He said Shukri would only tarnish the image of the ministry and Perlis by making dubious statements.
Shukri had reportedly questioned the ministry’s commitment to Perlis, which is an opposition-held state, following the alleged lack of response from the ministry to his requests for allocations to upgrade the landmarks.
In turn, Tiong questioned why the matter of special allocations had been brought up, given that Perlis’ representatives did not bring it up when they attended the November 14 meeting of the National Committee for the Development of Tourism and Culture.
Industry insiders told The Vibes that it is laudable that Perlis plans to promote tourism even though the state is regarded as just a transit location.
They urged tourism planners to consolidate the administration of the park and impose conservation charges for the upkeep of the place and other natural attractions there. – The Vibes, January 16, 2024
