S Thayaparan
“But I am not afraid because I am confident that what I did was right and for the benefit of the nation and people even though it has hurt other people’s feelings.”
COMMENT | Here is the thing. You can disagree vehemently with Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing when it comes to his opposition to the generational endgame (GEG) smoking bill.
You can also disagree when he wrote a letter critical of former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. But what the forces of extremism in this country are objecting to is essentially his non-Malay/Muslim status.
Tiong’s declaration that he is not a Muslim is a rejoinder to Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) of his supposedly non-Muslim behaviour of drinking and dancing and, some would argue, being a thorn in the side of those who desire a theocratic state where all are under religious law regardless of religious affiliation.
Whether you agree or disagree with the way Tiong is doing his job, his agenda, and he has made this very clear, is to bring in foreign money through tourism to this country.
“But I am not afraid because I am confident that what I did was right and for the benefit of the nation and people even though it has hurt other people’s feelings.”
- Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing
COMMENT | Here is the thing. You can disagree vehemently with Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing when it comes to his opposition to the generational endgame (GEG) smoking bill.
You can also disagree when he wrote a letter critical of former US House speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. But what the forces of extremism in this country are objecting to is essentially his non-Malay/Muslim status.
Tiong’s declaration that he is not a Muslim is a rejoinder to Mas Ermieyati Samsudin (PN-Masjid Tanah) of his supposedly non-Muslim behaviour of drinking and dancing and, some would argue, being a thorn in the side of those who desire a theocratic state where all are under religious law regardless of religious affiliation.
Whether you agree or disagree with the way Tiong is doing his job, his agenda, and he has made this very clear, is to bring in foreign money through tourism to this country.
Tiong
And if the money comes from Chinese tourists (many of his critics have made this point as if Chinese money is something out of the ordinary here), so what? It is the local economy that benefits.
Just last September, Tiong in the budget winding up speech for the 12th Malaysia Plan’s mid-term review said, “Let’s not engage in divisive actions. I’ll be honest… tourists from China have informed us that, if we talk like that, they are uncertain whether they should go (to Malaysia).”
Again, to be clear, Tiong has made it very clear he wants tourists from all over the globe but this means catering to everyone and not simply a certain section of the tourism market. And he has also made it clear he is willing to work with everyone.
From reportage, he said some MPs did not attend meetings conducted by his ministry, despite the invitations extended to them in response to their suggestions on developing tourism in their constituencies.
“The suggestions were good, but we need to cooperate. When the ministry invited them for a meeting, some did not attend.”
And for a minister who has been demonised by the extremist forces in this country as a drunken buffoon, he is extremely articulate in his criticism against what he sees as unclear policies and the role of how his ministry can assist all states.
And if the money comes from Chinese tourists (many of his critics have made this point as if Chinese money is something out of the ordinary here), so what? It is the local economy that benefits.
Just last September, Tiong in the budget winding up speech for the 12th Malaysia Plan’s mid-term review said, “Let’s not engage in divisive actions. I’ll be honest… tourists from China have informed us that, if we talk like that, they are uncertain whether they should go (to Malaysia).”
Again, to be clear, Tiong has made it very clear he wants tourists from all over the globe but this means catering to everyone and not simply a certain section of the tourism market. And he has also made it clear he is willing to work with everyone.
From reportage, he said some MPs did not attend meetings conducted by his ministry, despite the invitations extended to them in response to their suggestions on developing tourism in their constituencies.
“The suggestions were good, but we need to cooperate. When the ministry invited them for a meeting, some did not attend.”
And for a minister who has been demonised by the extremist forces in this country as a drunken buffoon, he is extremely articulate in his criticism against what he sees as unclear policies and the role of how his ministry can assist all states.
Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor
Take his spat with the Kedah menteri besar when it comes to Langkawi, for instance.
Tiong said, “Tourism Malaysia has been actively promoting Langkawi. It has not stopped putting in efforts to do so.”
“But if the state government’s policy remains uncertain and consistently associates religion with the tourism industry, then people may be discouraged from visiting Langkawi.”
Forces of extremism
The problem with this country is that everything is associated with religion. And if everything is associated with religion, someone who does not kowtow to this groupthink becomes a source of agitation for people who think non-Muslims should be pak turuts (yes men).
In the era of Madani where the forces of extremism are smug in their belief that non-Muslim political operatives will scamper away because they are afraid of spooking the Malays, this Sarawakian political operative is flying the non-Malay/Muslim flag high and proud.
To be clear, Tiong is not making his race or religion an issue. It is the forces of extremism in this country who are making his race and religion an issue. Or, rather, they are making their race and religion an issue, in the sense that their sensitivities trump everything else in this country.
The latest allegations against Tiong are the most sinister because they play into certain narratives that the forces of extremism in this country feed to the majority.
The allegation that Tiong as a non-Muslim makes Muslim cleaners clean up after “haram” items points to the narratives that the Malays will become servants in their homeland. That they will be forced to clean up the messes of non-Muslims.
The old BTN courses, for example, made it clear that if Umno/BN fell, the Malays would be enslaved in their homeland. This is potent propaganda for people who are exploited by the political class but are gaslighted into believing that pendatangs (migrants) would enslave them.
Racist narratives
We live in a time when petty minions of the state attempt to enforce dress codes in government buildings.
We live in a time when political operatives like PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang declared that non-Muslims should dress decently to be respected. Why do you think this is?
Take his spat with the Kedah menteri besar when it comes to Langkawi, for instance.
Tiong said, “Tourism Malaysia has been actively promoting Langkawi. It has not stopped putting in efforts to do so.”
“But if the state government’s policy remains uncertain and consistently associates religion with the tourism industry, then people may be discouraged from visiting Langkawi.”
Forces of extremism
The problem with this country is that everything is associated with religion. And if everything is associated with religion, someone who does not kowtow to this groupthink becomes a source of agitation for people who think non-Muslims should be pak turuts (yes men).
In the era of Madani where the forces of extremism are smug in their belief that non-Muslim political operatives will scamper away because they are afraid of spooking the Malays, this Sarawakian political operative is flying the non-Malay/Muslim flag high and proud.
To be clear, Tiong is not making his race or religion an issue. It is the forces of extremism in this country who are making his race and religion an issue. Or, rather, they are making their race and religion an issue, in the sense that their sensitivities trump everything else in this country.
The latest allegations against Tiong are the most sinister because they play into certain narratives that the forces of extremism in this country feed to the majority.
The allegation that Tiong as a non-Muslim makes Muslim cleaners clean up after “haram” items points to the narratives that the Malays will become servants in their homeland. That they will be forced to clean up the messes of non-Muslims.
The old BTN courses, for example, made it clear that if Umno/BN fell, the Malays would be enslaved in their homeland. This is potent propaganda for people who are exploited by the political class but are gaslighted into believing that pendatangs (migrants) would enslave them.
Racist narratives
We live in a time when petty minions of the state attempt to enforce dress codes in government buildings.
We live in a time when political operatives like PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang declared that non-Muslims should dress decently to be respected. Why do you think this is?
Embedded in all these racist narratives is that Malay ownership of this country is being surrendered to the non-Malays.
This was the whole point of the Malay Proclamation. This was the whole point of the formation of Perikatan Nasional but, most importantly, this is the foundational principle of mainstream Malay politics, or at least post-1969 politics.
Tiong’s response to this allegation was rational and effective but the fact remains that there is nothing wrong with a non-Muslim political operative to be consuming pork while at work or even consuming alcohol unless there is some rule that non-Muslims cannot have a drink during lunch that I am unaware of.
And if you think politicians do not drink during lunch even though they are on the clock, you really are naïve or at least hypocritical.
And if you think Muslim cleaners should not be cleaning up “haram items”, I am assuming the workers who pick up the garbage every single day all over Malaysia, in apartments, housing estates, office blocks, malls, and every other place where people live, are all non-Muslims?
Tiong is doing his job reminding people what a great destination Malaysia is because of its diversity, while the forces against him believe it should only be a destination for a certain kind of tourist.
This is why politics in this country is a self-inflicted wound.
S THAYAPARAN is Commander (Rtd) of the Royal Malaysian Navy. Fīat jūstitia ruat cælum - “Let justice be done though the heavens fall.”
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