Tourism Minister to face the Cabinet
Phnom Penh, Cambodia
June 16, 2011
Tourism Minister must account for this Facebook Affair
Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said today that Cabinet would seek an explanation from Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen over the tourism ministry’s RM1.8 million expenditure to develop six Facebook pages.
Muhyiddin said that if the tourism minister’s explanation was not satisfactory, the government might investigate the matter.“I think the Cabinet will ask for a complete report from the (tourism) minister tomorrow and she can explain the basis of the expenditure,” he told reporters here today.
“The explanation has already been given in Parliament but if people are unsatisfied then we can ask for a detailed (report). We have nothing to hide especially when it involves public expenditure.”
Yesterday Dr Ng appeared to have contradicted her ministry’s detailed account of the cost for each page when she said that the Facebook pages were free. Her deputy, James Dawos Mamit, had told Parliament that each Facebook page had cost RM293,072.
Dr Ng said the RM1.8 million would cover the cost of six different campaigns over seven months, and included the cost of contests and advertising on Google and Facebook.
DAP Youth chief Anthony Loke had said that unless Dr Ng explained the reason behind the “exorbitant” costs for the “social media branding” exercise, he would lodge a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).
Citrawarna 1 Malaysia, the most popular page, has so far attracted 20,292 Facebook fans since it 
was launched on May 21.The ministry had said that the RM1.8 million included costs for designing, flash programming and coding, testing and debugging, uploading and launching the application, system server deployment and campaign management.
In March last year, Integrated Strategic Communications, the advertising agency behind the award-winning “Malaysia, Truly Asia” tourism campaign, charged that it withdrew a bid to renew its contract with the Tourism Ministry after being asked for bribes in exchange for the deal.
Note: There is enough nonsense in the Ministry of Tourism. Azalina messed it up badly, and was boosted out. Now we have Dr Ng Yen Yen making things worse than her predecessor. The Cabinet should ask her to resign, or otherwise she should be fired. RM1.8 million to develop 6 pages in Facebook, that is a steal of taxpayer’s money. MACC, this is very much up your street. –Din Merican
No need to do so.
Just let the Malaysian tax payers know how the money was spent (in detail).
Phua Kai Lit - June 16, 2011 at 3:23 pm
Is Malaysia truly Asia?
No wonder Sabah Tourism website, http://www.sabahtourism.com. was hacked and defaced!
Hackers are now targeting govt portal now.
rightways - June 16, 2011 at 3:26 pm
While they are at it, ask her to be responsible for:
i) the two tilting arches she commissioned for RM400k each at the Penang Botanical Garden which had to be pulled down, and;
ii) why the electric train she order for Penang Hill has broken down 3 times since it was launched 2 months back.
Sentinel - June 16, 2011 at 5:31 pm
IPP contracts rahsia!
Water deals rahsia!
Toll concessions rahsia!
Malaysia…. Truly Rahsia!
Sentinel - June 16, 2011 at 5:32 pm
Ya! Semua rahsia! manaboleh?
rightways - June 16, 2011 at 5:53 pm
Intrigue on Facebook?
This Muka Buku of a federal minister doesn’t have a single fiber of ethics in her whole being. Why sack only her, when there’s a whole bunch of abhorrent, corrupt, incompetent elected and non-elected muka tebal fellas who pretend they are Ministers? Just get rid of the whole bunch. No need to ask the Gravity expert MACC to investigate. They themselves need to be investigated.
C.L. Familiaris - June 16, 2011 at 7:48 pm
Taxpayer money?? Mana ada? Once you pay your taxes it is UMNO’s money How come? Well, this is how come. It is called theft. It is not even retaining stolen property, or larceny by trick. Get over it !
Mr Bean - June 16, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Let us not grovel for the chicken bones, and lose our self-respect in the process.
This alleged incident could be a trap in logic for the people by those who have mismanaged billions instead of a million plus.Concentrate on the big sums and don’t let go. Look at those that can actually hurt the country, e.g. the mega projects.
___________
Tang, big or small does not matter. Both involve the misuse of public funds. Your head, like those of MCA members,is screwed in the wrong direction. It is the principle not the amount that matters.Get it–Din Merican
Tang Loon Kong - June 16, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Din
I am not saying (and did not say) that if there was mismanagement of public funds, we should ignore it.
Of course, go ahead with the principles. Nobody should condone misuse of public funds, no matter how small, or by whom.
For example, the case of Port Klang which involves MCA, is a mega project. Is it not?
In the current case, have we satisfied ourselves beyond any doubt and conclude that there was mismanagement of public funds? I think many of us could just be jumping to conclusions with play-up by press reports, and of course with Deputy PM’s furore.
Are we being led to believe once again? What if it turns out to be untrue?
We should not let our pent-up frustrations with the present government to screw with our thoughts.
Remember the naked woman squat case in the police station some time ago. Almost everybody taught she was a foreign national, but it turned out to be somebody else who was a Malaysian.
Being principled (or the claim of it) does not accord us (at least for myself) the right to jump to conclusions – I think.
Which one is more critical to Malaysia, this case (if it was true) or the Port Klang case, if somebody has to chose only one to concentrate on?
Tang Loon Kong - June 16, 2011 at 10:34 pm
” Tourism minister to face the Cabinet “. – Title
WOW .. SO IS THAT A BIG DEAL ? Everybody knows she is trying to out do her predecessor in robbing the ministry. Second , the Cabinet is full of rogues , crooks and morons just like her .
So , can someone tell me what is the big deal about facing this Cabinet of crooked leaders?
moid - June 16, 2011 at 10:48 pm
Sorry for the error.
“. . . . everybody taught . . . . ” should be ” . . . everybody thought . . . “
Tang Loon Kong - June 16, 2011 at 11:12 pm
‘Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin “picked” Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen over the tourism ministry’s RM1.8 million expenditure to develop six Facebook pages, which include “RM1.8 million included costs for designing, flash programming and coding, testing and debugging, uploading and launching the application, system server deployment and campaign management” –
is like creating a storm in the tea cup!. Why don’t he as DPM deal with the big fishes siphoning out billions without real efforts?
A leader without understanding the 20/80 rule is incompetent. In this case a DPM ‘picks’ on 10% value that requires 90% of the time and work is just wasting time and national resources.
rightways - June 17, 2011 at 12:15 am
A high spender Minister that need to be followed by the tax -payers.
Siti - June 17, 2011 at 6:08 pm
What is the big deal about facing this Cabinet of crooked leaders – moid.
Can anyone understand what this ‘blotok’ head is talking about. Can’t string a sentence ??
Mr Bean - June 17, 2011 at 8:06 pm
Facebook is free for all, even the kids can do it.
But if you want to do something big in proper ways, expertise is needed. The question is : has her boss, DPM provided any proper guidance to Minister of Tourism?
We saw TV and media campaigning: Malaysia is truly Asia! The fact is Asia is not what Malaysia is presenting.
rightways - June 17, 2011 at 8:20 pm