I am compelled to respond to the shallow remarks made by Selangor PAS Youth, who continue attacking the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture, YB Dato’ Sri Tiong King Sing, over the Rain Rave Water Music Festival 2026 held in Bukit Bintang.
The reaction from PAS Youth reflects a narrow and negative political mindset that fails to appreciate the importance of tourism-driven economic activities for the country.
The festival successfully attracted approximately 180,000 visitors and generated an estimated RM200 million in economic benefits for local businesses in Kuala Lumpur. This is a major success for the nation’s tourism sector — one that PAS seems unable to comprehend through the lens of its politics.
Instead of constantly playing the role of “moral police”, I challenge Selangor PAS Youth to do the following:
1. Learn Leadership by Example
YB Dato’ Sri Tiong King Sing has shown proactive and energetic leadership by personally promoting and supporting tourism events. Where were PAS leaders when Langkawi needed aggressive tourism promotion? Why is Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi, the Menteri Besar of Kedah more interested in acting in the film “The Keris” instead of focusing on restoring Langkawi’s increasingly lacklustre image under his administration?
2. Translate Awards Into Numbers, Not Rhetoric
Langkawi was ranked 2nd in the “Top Islands: Reader’s Choice Award 2025” by Condé Nast Traveler, far ahead of Bali and Phuket. Yet it is embarrassing that PAS-led Kedah has failed to translate this recognition into impressive tourist arrival numbers. If PAS claims Langkawi is a syariah-compliant tourism destination, where are their creative tourism campaigns?
3. Use Your Energy to Build, Not Destroy
I suggest that Selangor PAS Youth channel their energy into organising tourism programmes in PAS-governed states (SG4). If they are truly confident in their ideology, prove that they can attract 180,000 tourists and generate RM200 million in a single weekend in Langkawi or Kelantan — without attacking the efforts of others in Kuala Lumpur.
Perhaps Selangor PAS Youth can encourage their leaders and religious scholars to go to the beaches of Langkawi, dressed in traditional Kedah attire, and show the world that Langkawi is a vibrant, family-friendly destination — not an island growing dull under a visionless administration.
Enough with narrow-minded politics that only knows how to oppose but fails to build. The people want a vibrant economy and fuller pockets, not empty rhetoric that harms the country’s tourism industry.