Pas Tells Anwar To Sack Tiong Says Explanation Unreasonable

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PAS has urged Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to fire Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister Tiong King Sing over the serving of alcoholic beverages at the Global Travel Meet function.
The party’s information chief, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari, said the minister’s explanation that the event was an “industry and private sector initiative” was unreasonable.
“When an event is uploaded on the official Tourism Malaysia website and scheduled as part of an official programme, the government, through Tourism Malaysia, bears full responsibility for the event’s content,” he added in a statement.
PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli ShaariYesterday, Tiong refuted Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin’s claims that alcoholic beverages were served at a government-hosted function, stating instead that it was a privately funded dinner by industry players.
He clarified that the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia), as organiser of the two-and-a-half-day Global Travel Meet, had “borrowed a platform” offered by tourism industry players to organise the event in which alcoholic drinks were served.
Several photos from the dinner showed Tiong and other guests holding wine and beer glasses.
‘Not the first time’
In response, the PAS information chief also added that “this is not the first time the tourism minister has failed to protect Muslim sensitivities.”
“Hence, PAS urges the prime minister to take firm and immediate action by dismissing the tourism minister, to restore public confidence and protect the honour of Islam as the country’s official religion,” he said.
Further, Fadhli explained that the Federal Territories mufti had also previously said that it was forbidden for Muslims to participate in events where alcohol would be served.
“So how is it possible that an official government event served alcohol, which is clearly prohibited in Islam?” he questioned.
He stressed that serving alcohol at an official government function not only violates official Treasury guidelines, which clearly prohibit the provision of alcohol, but also contradicts Article 3 of the Federal Constitution, which establishes Islam as the official religion.
‘Alcohol sponsorship must be rejected’
In a separate statement, the Umno ulama council similarly said that serving alcohol at official government events was contradictory to the Federal Constitution and the Islamic values that the government claims to uphold.
“The minister’s response that it was funded by private industry players is still unjustified. As a minister, the sponsorship of alcohol in official events must be rejected, especially if it involves the participation of Muslim government officials.
“Otherwise, it exposes Muslim government officials to public alcohol drinking events, making them complicit in behaviour that contradicts Islam. Alcohol is unhealthy and contradictory to Islamic values.
“Hence, the minister’s excuses should not be used by newer generations to normalise alcohol,” said Umno ulama council adviser Khairuddin Aman Razali.
Yesterday, Tiong explained that Tourism Malaysia’s role at the dinner was limited to coordinating cultural performances and launching the Visit Malaysia Year 2026 calendar of events, which listed 318 programmes across all states.
“All food and beverages at the dinner were not under Tourism Malaysia’s responsibility. The organisers provided sufficient non-alcoholic drinks to cater to all guests,” he stressed. 
Apart from Mas Ermieyati, others who targeted Tiong based on social media posts of the dinner included Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Salleh and PAS Ulama wing chief Ahmad Yahaya. - Mkini

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