KOTA KINABALU: While Sabah’s tourism sector is slowly recovering, the statement on the state’s safety by Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz has ‘thrown the spanner’ into all the hard work of the state Government.
UPKO secretary general Datuk Donald Mojuntin, when commenting on Nazri’s statement, said that the party believes that its leaders and members, as well as most Sabahans, are disappointed and angered by what can be regarded as an insensitive and irresponsible statement made by the federal minister.
Donald said that UPKO fully supported and agreed with Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun’s immediate response to the very shocking and perplexing remarks made by Nazri.
“This is yet another example of a federal minister making statements that seemingly show their lack of concern for the state of Sabah, that is in complete contrast to the Prime Minister, who, in his recent visit to Sabah, kept assuring that the Federal Government will endeavor to help develop the state as he believes that Sabah has the potential to be an economic powerhouse in Malaysia,” Donald, who is also UPKO Penampang chief and Barisan Nasional liaison chairman, said.
He added, “ministers as suave as Datuk Seri Nazri should think before they speak. The tourism industry is one of our Chief Minister’s long-term plans, the three pronged ‘Halatuju’, apart from agriculture and manufacturing. It is one of the main revenue earners for the state.
“Datuk Masidi has been working tirelessly to ensure that the tourism industry in Sabah continues to develop and grow despite so many challenges that are sometimes beyond our control. We are just recovering from one of those challenges and recovering remarkably well. The last thing we need is for the Federal Minister for Tourism to spoil it all for Sabah,” he stressed.
Nazri’s statement that the safety of tourists in Sabah could not be guaranteed until the two recent kidnappings were resolved had angered many people, especially those in the tourism sector in Sabah.
Masidi had said that Nazri is not fully aware of the security and safety level in Lahad Datu and that he is ill-advised of the situation on the ground.
“The United States Ambassador to Malaysia and his wife recently spent the night in Lahad Datu on their way to Danum Valley. If the Ambassador finds it safe to spend the night there, then I find it rather odd that our own Tourism Minister is scared to visit Lahad Datu,” Masidi said.
Nazri’s reply in Parliament on Monday to a question from Kuala Langat member of parliament Abdullah Sani Abdul Hamid, when wrapping up the 2015 Supplementary Bill for his ministry said that certain places in Sabah were still unsafe for tourists.
The Federal Minister also said he would not order tourism officials to promote the state. He added that many foreign tourists have admitted the recent kidnappings in Sabah had dented the country’s image further than the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
“I do not want to be responsible for guaranteeing the safety of tourists in Sabah because if one gets kidnapped, I will be blamed,” he said in reply.
Nazri had also said that many foreign tourists were not aware of the distance between districts like Kota Kinabalu and Sipadan in Sabah, and believed they were all in the same area.