The stupid minister opens her mouth again and syok sendiri

So, the minister Azalina Othman was in town and gave some really strange, if not stupid, announcements....

Looks like she has appointed the person who screwed up tourism in the state in the past to be the chairman of Penang Tourism Action Council. Now, I am sure, all of you know Mdm Kee Phaik Cheen?

That woman is known to make long, long trips overseas in the pretext of promoting Penang and come back with expensive, designer items for herself. Ahhh...we all know who benefited the most from her trips, it was definitely NOT Penang!

So, now she is back. I guess, PTAC is in very good hands and will be organising more trips overseas huh?

Then the new tourism minister started babbling about getting rid of syok sendiri programmes in the country.

Wah, minister, we know you always do things syok sendiri but why lah you start potong stim for others who want to syok sendiri?

She seemed to think that certain tourism events are merely 'syok sendiri' so the ministry will no longer support nor organise such events.

"We are only interested in major events which bring in foreign tourists and benefit the whole industry." she reportedly said.

Ah, so. And who is the expert to know which programme bring in tourists and which does not?
Don't tell it's the minister who blew millions on a facility to 'train' Malaysian footballers in UK?

Oh right. That incident was a mistake and this time she has supposedly wised up by:

1.Cutting off the tourism action councils of five states from the state government

2. Announce new chairmen, who may or may not be good, for the councils

3. Announce no support for any tourism events except those sanctioned by her...err..the ministry with a 'syok sendiri' rating as the judging factor.

So, how do you see the tourism industry in Penang in future? Well, looks like the state's soon to be formed Penang Tourism Council will have to work doubly hard to promote tourism events, syok sendiri or otherwise, and raise their own funds. The dyke has spoken in no uncertain terms that there will not be any support from the federal.

Meanwhile, PTAC will probably become what it used to do before Teng Chang Yeow took over in 2004 and turned it around a bit. It will now serve as nothing but a front for Kee to travel worldwide to shop...err...promote Penang. As for funding channeled through PTAC, the state can probably say goodbye to all that and they are better off raising their own funds.

The fat lady has sung and she ain't parting with her money till 'she is certain that it is spent properly' - meaning masuk someone's pockets lar....

Hmmm....is it me or do I sense a foreboding looming in the horizon especially for the tourism industry in Penang? Sigh, poor tourism exco Danny Law, he has some interesting times ahead of him.