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Media Statement (3) by Lim Kit Siang in Petaling Jaya on Friday, 26th June 2009: 

Did the Cabinet discuss the scandalous million-ringgit fee to Jean Todt as Malaysia’s tourism ambassador or are the Cabinet Ministers deaf to the nation-wide howls of outrage when this news came out

Did the Cabinet which met this morning discuss the scandalous million-ringgit fee to former Ferrari Formula One owner Jean Todt as Malaysia’s tourism ambassador or are the Cabinet Ministers totally cut off from the ground and deaf to the nation-wide howls of outrage when this news came out?

Did the Cabinet review the need and efficacy of the million-ringgit payment to Todt and whole concept of appointing million-ringgit tourism ambassadors?

Parti Keadilan Rakyat MP for Gombak, Azmin Ali has said that the RM1 million fee to Todt, which has been confirmed by the Tourism Minister, Datuk Seri Ng Yen Yen, included an annual fee of RM593,000 and another RM388,000 to pay for Todt’s holidays in Malaysia.

How many tourist ambassadors ala-Todt have been appointed by the Tourism Ministry to date, and have they all been given million-ringgit fees? Who is actually the first tourism ambassador appointed by the Tourism Ministry?

And what is the really the rationale for the appointment of tourism ambassadors when the Tourism Ministry has tourism officers all over the world.

Surprisingly, the Public Accounts Committee Chairman, Datuk Azmi Khalid has kept his silence and not said anything about the PAC opening investigations into the issue of appointing million-ringgit tourism ambassadors.

In this connection, did the MCA and Gerakan Ministers raise objections in today’s Cabinet meeting at the answer given by the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Senator Datuk Jamil Khair bin Baharom in Parliament about the possibility of hudud being used to deal with snatch thieves.

MCA Publicity Bureau and the Gerakan Youth came out with a fierce attack on Jamil’s answer in Parliament, but all these statements are just meaningless political show and empty political P.R. (public relations) if MCA and Gerakan Ministers dare not even raise strong objections in the Cabinet.

What have the MCA President Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat and Gerakan President Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon got to say? What have they done in the Cabinet to ensure that no UMNO or Barisan Nasional Minister or Deputy Minister would ever make such a statement on hudud in Parliament again?


*Lim Kit Siang, DAP Parliamentary leader & MP for Ipoh Timor

 

 

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