Anwar Is Enough For Tourism No Need For A Corrupt Tour

---

 


Twelve years ago, the New York Times published an article on an enterprising businessperson who started the world’s first-ever “Corrupt Tour” in Prague, which gave visitors the darker side of the city - the culture of lawlessness and corruption.
Dan Bilefsky wrote: “These days, there is more than enough nefarious activity afoot in the Czech capital to fill a three-hour excursion. The first stop on tour was a run-down apartment building in a working-class neighbourhood.”
The guide said Ivo Rittig, a wealthy lobbyist with a private jet and a home in Monaco, had once registered the apartment as his main residence.”
It ended at the city’s outskirts at the large mausoleum for the family of Martin Roman, the former chief executive of the energy giant CEZ, who officials say is suspected of offering lucrative contracts to cronies, an accusation he has vehemently denied.
Those were the pre-1MDB days, but there was enough material for me to pen an article (in jest) on how we could replicate that tour.
Plenty to work with
Two years later, I came across the article and wrote: “So, if we have such a tour in the Klang Valley, where should we start? The KLIA should be the starting point.”
“From there, we could have made a detour off the highway to the Paya Indah Wetlands, where visitors can get a glimpse of what remains of RM65 million, which was spent on what was then termed as the largest wetlands in this part of the world.”
I included the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ), for which we taxpayers continue to fill the RM12.4 billion hole it left.
In Port Klang, I included the infamous palace built by railway gatekeeper-turned-lawmaker Zakaria Mat Deros - a mansion with 16 rooms and 21 bathrooms. The massive structure was built without planning permission on land meant for low-cost houses.
On the way to Kuala Lumpur, I suggested visiting Shah Alam, where the wives of VIPs sat and planned their visit to Cambodia to “see how the poor lived”. This mission was accomplished with donations from the state and public funds.
Then, in Petaling Jaya, I suggested visiting Bandar Utama, where land handed to the government for public amenities ended up in the hands of connected businesspersons.
Nearby is a piece of land that was initially meant to be used as a cemetery but was converted for high-end houses and condominiums.
En route, tourists would have been delighted to see the scores of billboards along both sides of the highway, some of which were approved after “donations” were made to the local council in the name of its sports club.
I wrote that these would be enough to fill three hours, but this is only an abridged version of the “Corrupt Tour”. A complete tour of other sites may take a week or even more.
A day after the column appeared, The Star reported: “Seeing is believing and the sight of Port Klang Free Zone now tells a very different story. Once a controversial project, and described by some critics as scandalous, PKFZ is now a progressive business hub with participation from big domestic and foreign players.”
Subsequently, I wrote a rejoinder as foreign reports on 1MDB were trickling in and former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad demanded answers.
The company said in a statement: “The board takes malicious and slanderous allegations seriously and reserves the right to take legal action.”
It said the auditor-general is conducting an independent review of 1MDB’s accounts, as the cabinet of Malaysia agreed. It sought the patience and understanding of the public and interested parties to wait for the results of these reviews.
The then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak threatened to sue the Wall Street Journal but nothing materialised.
Unkept promises
Many Malaysians would have forgotten these sad episodes, especially after a government that promised reform and ending corruption and cronyism.
To the uninitiated, Malaysia is a land free of past malpractices, and we have an honest government centred on transparency and accountability.
It can do no wrong, as we have seen over the past two years, and Malaysians yearn for more of the same dose in months to come.
Physically, there may not be much to show, but if we have a sound and light show, we can certainly show the fiery speeches and the many promises that were made but not delivered.
There are no elections yet, but Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim is the new poster boy for our tourism activities.
If you do not believe me, you can ask Mahadzir Mansor, the president of the Malaysia International Tourism Development Association.
On Astro Awani two nights ago, he said: “In truth, our prime minister is a tourism product for Malaysia.
“Many people don’t know, but what brings tourists to Malaysia is Anwar’s efforts and his leadership as prime minister is a tourism product,” he said.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the 2023 APEC meetingOf course, Anwar is known internationally. He has travelled to 26 countries over the past two years, especially in the Middle East, for his stand on the Palestinian issue.
He even flew those injured in the fighting and their families to Malaysia for treatment at the government’s expense.
But our visitors want to return to Egypt and have already been involved in two commotions in the transit home where they have been staying.
They could be homesick and pining for familiar surroundings, but outings to the beach or the shopping malls could ease their boredom.
But then, there is nothing that our prime minister cannot do. He can always instruct the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry to incorporate Malaysian hospitality and highlight their “activities” in the new all-encompassing video that is being produced.
This will certainly be no tall order, especially from the very top.
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist who writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

---