BarisaEYE ON MALAYSIA becomes BLACK EYE ON MALAYSIA – Tourism Minister must explain

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Media Statement 
by Lau Weng San
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(Petaling Jaya, Saturday) : It is interesting to read an exclusive from Malaysiakini.com that the Ministry of Tourism is bailing out MST Ad Suria, an event management company formed in 2004 company to run the 'privatised' Eye on Malaysia. 

Malaysiakini carries the report as below: 

However eight months since its official launch, the long queues expected by the ministry are simply missing. 

Apart from the initial euphoria and excitement, the visitors have avoided the Eye on Malaysia, causing potential embarrassment and financial worries for the ministry and the private company. 

One foreign tourist even told Malaysiakini that the Eye had "nothing special". 

Now new facts have emerged that the Tourism Ministry and MST Ad Suria are trying to revitalize the Eye on Malaysia. 

The plan is simple - the ministry buys thousands of tickets from the private company to be distributed for free. In other words, the ministry is bailing out MST Ad Suria. 

Sources have told Malaysiakini that tickets worth RM5.7 million have been snapped up by the ministry from the private company. 

I had raised the issue in 3^rd January 2007 in a statement that is this another mega project without proper public consultation and accountability?  

At the beginning of 2007 when the government was busy promoting Malaysia’s 50-year nationhood and Visit Malaysia Year 2007 (VMY2007), mainstream media had also started promoting various tourist spots for VMY2007. Among others is this 60-metre high 'Eye on Malaysia', similar to the 'London Eye', which will be unveiled at the launch of VMY2007on Jan 6 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur.  

Tourism Minister Tengku Adnan said it would cost RM30 million to set-up the wheel and discussions were still ongoing whether the structure would remain a permanent feature after VMY 2007, indicating that the structure could be dismantled after 2007 and there is no pre-planning at all on this project. 

Piling work began at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa end of 2006 where a 60m-high Ferris wheel with 42 gondolas was installed as one of the major attractions for VMY2007. Each of the Ferris wheel’s air-conditioned gondolas can carry eight adults. “Eye On Malaysia” was then believed to be able to provide city folks with a view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline. The Ferris wheel is of Swiss technology and was specially brought in as one of the main attractions for VMY 2007. 

Malaysians are surprised as to why such huge project which involved a whopping RM30 million minimum is not made known to the public earlier for public scrutiny when country’s economy is not performing as it should be, crippled with billion ringgits of losses due to the gigantic flood in southern Peninsula. 

Will it not be better for tourist to take the KL Tower amidst the city of Kuala Lumpur at 515m above sea level, which is majestically poised at a breathtaking height of 421 metres to grasp a full view of KL at a greater height and a cheaper entry ticket (RM10 per adult) for a longer time as compared to only 60 metres of Eye On Malaysia at RM15 per entry? Even if you want to enjoy a free view, then Bukit Ampang (nicknamed “Little Genting”) can be a good choice also. 

If the cost of construction is RM30 million as claimed by the Minister with an estimation of at least two million tourists to tour the Ferris wheel in order to break even based on RM15 entry ticket per person, then a valid question posed if whether this project is capable to attract that minimum amount of tourist in order to break-even, not to mention about making profit. 

Malaysiakini’s report and interview with staffs there has validated my suspicion early this year when it was reported that “there were no other tourists or locals on sight when malaysiakini visited the Eye yesterday evening. Even the staff manning the ticketing counter looked dispirited.” 

And now the Ministry Tourism has to fork out taxpayers money of RM5.7million to bail out the MST Ad Suria. The whole argument is whether such wastage of public fund could be avoided again if the government is sincere to walk the talk by having proper public consultation first before putting the cart before the horse when the government only informed the public only when the construction of the project started. 

We therefore demand the Ministry of Tourism to validate the reports and explain this matter.                                  

(11/8/2007)