KUCHING: The Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MoTAC) has dismissed recent social media claims on the demotion of Datuk Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar from director-general to deputy director-general of Tourism Malaysia last year, calling them baseless and fabricated.
Its Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing clarified that the claims about Ammar’s demotion originated from fake social media accounts and urged individuals to stop spreading divisive misinformation.
“Those who deliberately exploit racial and religious issues are only harming national unity,” he said in response to the alleged claims of Ammar’s demotion on his Facebook page.
The claims outlined six reasons for Ammar’s demotion, stating that it was not due to declining performance but rather his disagreement on certain tourism-related matters.
Tiong explained the issue of ‘recognising Chinese new villages’ has nothing to do with MoTAC, and the matter does not fall under the jurisdiction of the ministry, nor has it ever been raised within the ministry.
“Secondly, the rumour about the abolition of the homestay system, is nonsensical. On the contrary, the ministry submitted a policy for approval last week and is actively promoting and developing the homestay programme.
Tiong also debunked allegations that Chinese tourists received preferential or special treatment, stressing that Malaysia welcomes visitors from all over the world.
“We actively promote Malaysia tourism in various regions, including China, Asean, Europe, and the Middle East.
“Given China’s large population, promotional efforts in this market naturally require more time, but this does not mean tourism promotion is neglected in other countries,” he said.
Another false claim circulating online suggested that tourism subsidies were only granted to Chinese-owned companies.
Tiong denied this, stating that all subsidy policies are implemented fairly, regardless of race.
“Any eligible company can apply, and no subsidies are allocated based on racial background,” he said.
On the so-called ‘Laos incident’, Tiong dismissed it as entirely fictitious, adding that MoTAC would not entertain such baseless claims.
He also clarified that Ammar had never raised discussions on Syariah-compliant or Muslim-friendly hotels during his tenure.
“So how could there be any question of his ‘interest’ or lack thereof? Since no such discussions took place, there was never any deviation from any decision-making on this matter.
“The Islamic Tourism Centre is set to welcome a new director, who will swiftly drive the development of Muslim-friendly tourism products — an area that Ammar never addressed during his time in office,” he said.
Tiong further explained that during Ammar’s tenure as acting director-general, the latter did not meet the expected performance standards, lacked clear understanding of responsibilities and failed to demonstrate initiative.
“In any position, if a candidate does not meet benchmarks, adjustments are standard administrative procedures. I believe this is a completely normal part of governance,” he said.
