PETALING JAYA: A former MP claims a senior official in Tourism Malaysia was promoted despite allegedly being part of a “questionable” deal which implied a conflict of interest.
Wee Choo Keong, who was Bukit Bintang MP from 1990 to 1995 and Wangsa Maju MP from 2008 to 2013, told FMT the official presently holds a senior position in Tourism Malaysia as well as the Tourism and Culture Ministry Cooperative (Kopema).
When contacted by FMT, however, the official declined to comment as the matter is under investigation.
“On Nov 6, 2017, a company called Geeko Tech Sdn Bhd was incorporated, with two of its shareholders being a woman and Kopema,” Wee said, adding that the Tourism Malaysia official in question also held a leadership role in Kopema at the time.
“On Jan 19, 2018, the official proposed a joint promotion between Tourism Malaysia, Geeko and Tencent Holdings.”
Citing minutes from a Tourism Malaysia meeting, Wee said the joint promotion centred on the introduction of the “SMART Tourism” system, a platform for digital marketing promotions, at a cost of RM1,167,900.
He said the minutes showed that the official had failed to state that Kopema was a shareholder in Geeko, which he was a part of.
The RM1.16 million was subsequently paid by Tourism Malaysia to Geeko, he added.
“Now, the Tourism Malaysia official who was and still is in a senior position in Kopema which, in turn, is a shareholder of Geeko, has been put in a powerful position in Tourism Malaysia.
“Clearly, the official is in the know about this deal,” he said. “I cannot understand how the new government can not only tolerate this clear conflict of interest but also see fit to promote the official.”
He urged the government to look into the matter as it involved the principles of transparency, accountability and good governance. - FMT
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