Malaysians respond to Tourism Tax spat with corny retorts

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A photo purportedly showing ‘Jagung Nazri Aziz’ being sold for RM3 per bundle of eight ears at Kampung Bandung Market, Sibu.

KUCHING:  ‘Jagung’ or corn has become very a popular subject on social media and even in some markets after the recent spat between the federal and state tourism ministers.

Many netizens were seen posting pictures and images of corn online, some making direct reference to federal Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz, while others made indirect references.

Among them were various versions of images of Malaysia’s iconic Petronas Twin Towers which have been photoshopped to look like two standing ears of corn.

A social media page belonging to former Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yong Teck Lee who is also the president of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) also carried a similar image.

The image shows the corn Twin Towers, which includes a rude hand gesture and a phrase in Bahasa Malaysia that said ‘Kalau Bukan Setahun Jagung Mana Ada Menara Petronas Kembar’ which translates into ‘Without the year-old corn, there would be no Petronas Twin Towers’.

Nazri has become the focus of the ire of Sarawakians, Sabahans and netizens for calling State Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah names due to their disagreement over the Tourism Tax Bill which was passed in the last parliamentary sitting and is to be enforced next month.

Abdul Karim argued that the introduction of the bill was against the spirit of Malaysia Agreement 1963 and the state had not been consulted.

He thus asked for the implementation of the new tax to be deferred.

Nazri who did not take well to the objection, responded by calling Abdul Karim a ‘gangster’ and a greenhorn minister which in Bahasa Malaysia is ‘jagung setahun’, a term that literally means ‘year-old corn’.

Although Nazri had insisted that Sarawak would stand to benefit from the collection of the new tax as the revenue will be equally shared between the three regions—Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak—where Peninsular Malaysia

will be contributing more as it has more five-star hotels, his explanation did not catch the public’s attention. Instead, his received insults against Abdul Karim ignited a furore.

Not only have Sarawakian and Sabahan BN politicians stood behind Abdul Karim, netizens especially those from Sarawak and Sabah have also criticised Nazri for his remarks.

A picture which has been widely circulated among Sarawakians through mobile phone messaging applications purportedly shows corn being sold at Kampung Bandung Market in Sibu as ‘Jagung Nazri Aziz’ with a bundle of eight ears priced at RM3.