UMNO veterans have joined the call for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to replace tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing over his remarks about Chinese-language signboards.
Describing Tiong’s statement as “humiliating”, Umno veterans’ club secretary Mustapha Yaakub said the minister should be replaced to protect the nation’s reputation.
“Which country in the world gives special treatment to their visitors to the extent of changing their signboards to suit their visitors’ language?
“The number of Malaysians visiting China is not small but the signboards on shopping centres in Beijing, Shanghai, and other places are still in Mandarin.
“Even if there are translations, they are in English,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.
He added that there was no need for Tiong to apologise to visitors from China due to allegedly unfair treatment by the Malaysian government.
Tiong had hit out at former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad for his criticism of signboards in Chinese, saying such remarks could affect the country’s diversity and tourism industry.
Mahathir had claimed that Malaysia was unlike other Southeast Asian nations as it allowed shops to prominently display Chinese characters. He said this could be due to the numerous tourists from China.
He also asked why shops were allowed to install signboards which did not use the Malay language after visiting one of the newer shopping malls in Kuala Lumpur.
Tiong criticised Mahathir’s statement, saying it did little to foster unity or contribute to economic development.
He also disagreed with Kuala Lumpur City Hall’s recent action against shop owners who did not prioritise the national language on signboards, claiming it had caused tourists to question Malaysia’s openness and inclusiveness.
Yesterday, Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin suggested that the government consider changing Tiong’s portfolio to one that focussed on enforcement action.
She said the minister should have defended the use of Malay as the national language on signboards.
