KUALA LUMPUR – An event graced by Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri drew flak from the public as it was held shortly after the floods hit the Klang Valley.
A video of the event was shared on the @zunar_cartoonist Instagram page, showing dancing and singing onstage for attendees.
Based on the post, it is understood that the event was organised by Akademi Seni Budaya & Warisan Kebangsaan (Aswara).
The event, dubbed “Majlis Ramah Mesra Alumni Aswara”, is understood to have taken place yesterday at Eastin Hotel in Petaling Jaya while volunteers and rescue personnel were busy assisting flood victims.
Satire cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Haque, or Zunar, claimed that the event was initially to be postponed due to the floods.
However, despite pleas from a member of Aswara to hold the event another day, Zunar said the request was not heeded.
Despite backlash to the event, Nancy has implemented various initiatives to assist flood victims.
In a statement on Facebook on Saturday, Nancy said her ministry is committed to working with the relevant agencies.
“To help flood victims, the ministry is committed to working with disaster management agencies at the state and district levels, and will use ministry resources all over the country,” Nancy said in a post on Facebook.
Similarly, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry itself also issued a post yesterday announcing cooperation with tourism industry stakeholders to assist flood victims.
“The ministry, along with the Malaysian Tourism Council, is working with the hotel and tourism industry in post-flood recovery missions to assist affected residents in the Klang Valley,” the post read. – The Vibes, December 22, 2021
