Ministry doesn’t fund state tourism events, says Ng

0

KUALA LUMPUR: The federal government is not funding the George Town Festival in Penang because it is a state-level event, Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen clarified today.

Commenting on the statement of Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng that the federal government had refused to be involved in the festival, Dr Ng said that it showed lack of understanding of her ministry’s policy.

“We welcome state governments doing their own events but they must themselves  drive the events. Don’t complain when the ministry doesn’t give money,” she said. .

“That is a Penang state event and I’m sure they can sponsor it 100 per cent. It’s not like it’s a RM10 million project,” she said.

Dr Ng said the ministry held a series of national tourism events every year, some of them in the states, including Penang.

She said Penang had been allocated RM142.751 million under the Ninth Malaysia Plan to built up their tourism sector, including RM73 million to upgrade the Penang Hill Train Station and RM8.6 million for the Penang Botanic Gardens.

“I don’t want the Penang rakyat to be misled by the Chief Minister, thinking that we are not helping Penang. I do not wish other states to think that they can ask for funds for their state events. We don’t fund state events but support them in other ways,” she said.

The George Town Festival 2011, to be held in July, is an annual month-long event to celebrate the city’s Unesco World Heritage listing, which was granted in 2008.

The state spent RM400,000 on the festival last year and had agreed to increase this year’s allocation to RM1.2 million but the organisers said that at least RM4 million more was needed. – Bernama