THE cyberspace is abuzz with Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing being hailed as Malaysia’s GOAT (greatest of all time) Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister as curtain came down on the inaugural three-day Rain Rave Water Music Festival 2026 in Bukit Bintang on Saturday evening (May 2).
It is debatable if the incessant singing of praises on the six-term Bintulu MP is to thwart his bulldozing of the event to go ahead as part of the Visit Malaysia 2026 (VMY 2026) crowd puller which eventually courted heated exchanges betweem liberal minded Malaysians and the PAS-led rightist moral police fraternity.
Tributes poured in for the Sarawak-based Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) president amid detractors in the likes of the UMNO Youth chief Datuk Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh – the self-proclaimed staunch defender of race and religion – painting him as a “drunkard” or wanting him sacked from the Madani Cabinet.
Even the Federal Territories (FT) Islamic Religious Department (JAWI) and the FT Mufti Office objected and wanted the event scrapped at the eleventh hour.
Impressive figures
Trending news portal The Coverage Media let the numbers do the talking as to why fiery Tiong is “Malaysia’s greatest Tourism Minister ever”.
“Under Tiong’s leadership, tourism has ceased to be a mere sector and has become the engine room of Malaysia’s economy,” it argued in a Facebook post which has amassed 14K likes, 3.1K comments and 2K shares at the time of writing.
“In just three years (2023-2025), the total contribution of tourism to our national GDP (gross domestic product) has reached a staggering RM899.9 bil – approaching the trillion-ringgit mark (2023: RM275.8 bil; 2024: RM291.9 bil; 2025: RM332.2 bil).”
The revelation by The Coverage Media which became viral went on to contend that “the true measure of a Tourism Minister is not just the GDP spin but actual receipts” which again Tiong passed with flying colours.
Money in the pockets of our taxi drivers, hoteliers, hawkers and business owners. Under Tiong, tourism receipts hit RM359.1 bil in three years (2023: RM106.8 bil; 2024: RM107 bil; 2025: RM145.3 bil).
Tourist arrivals from 29 million (2023) to 38 million (2024) and smashing through to 42.2 million in 2025 – to even overtaking regional giant Thailand.
Over 48 new air routes secured. The OAG Megahubs 2025 report crowned KLIA as the most connected airport in Asia Pacific and the world’s No. 1 low-cost carrier hub.
Kuala Lumpur clinched No. 2 Trending Destination worldwide on TripAdvisor’s 2025 Travelers’ Choice Awards. George Town was named Asia’s Best Street Food City by Time Out.
Ipoh ranked 5th in Time Out’s “Top 8 Must-Visit Cities in Asia”. And perhaps most significantly, 2025 saw Malaysia reclaiming the No. 1 spot in the Mastercard-Crescent Rating Global Muslim Travel Index (GMTI).
Editor’s Note: The exposé by The Coverage Media came in the wake of self-proclaimed Chinese leadership site Top Leader 领袖 claiming that the Rain Rave 2026 could have attracted a crowd of 80,000 and raked in over RM200 mil in tourist money.
“Conservative estimates show that international visitors comprised around 25% to 30% of the estimated 80,000 total attendance, hence around 20,000 to 24,000 people,” Top Leader 领袖 pointed out in a Facebook post.
Ignoring moral police
Perhaps what makes The Coverage Media’s account of Tiong’s achievement appealing is the way it took a pot shot at the detractors.
“They sit in their state capitals, wrapped in faux holiness, declaring everything from concerts to night markets as forbidden,” observed the self-proclaimed “fastest-growing” social news site.
They try to be the moral police, forcing every Malaysian to live under their narrow lens. But ask yourself: What do they have to show?
Under their watch, their own states suffer from poverty, under-development and civil servants who don’t receive bonuses. They cannot generate wealth, so they borrow to pay salaries.
Unable to build, they resort to banning. They chant “Haram for you” but “Halal for me”. Tiong King Sing doesn’t play that game.
He understands that moral policing doesn’t pay the bills. Tourism receipts do. A thriving economy does. Food on the table does.
You ‘ve not just been a minister. You‘ve been a shield for our multi-culturalism and a sword for our economic revival.
Let the data stand as your monument. Let the 42 million tourists be your jury. Let the RM900 bil be your verdict. Malaysia will remember Tiong King Sing as the Minister who made us proud – and prosperous.
For Bahasa Malaysia audience who wish to turn a deaf ear to political noises by sticking to facts and figures, this piece by Nengok TV entitled “Criticised, Shouted at But the Reality is Tiong King Sing is a Minister Who Performs” would make a good read.
- focus malaysia
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