UMNO bantah arak di acara rasmi kerajaan

PRESIDEN UMNO, Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi berkata beliau akan membawa isu minuman beralkohol didakwa dihidangkan pada majlis makan malam dikaitkan dengan sebuah agensi kerajaan ke mesyuarat Kabinet.

Mewakili UMNO, beliau berkata, parti berkenaan menolak sekeras-kerasnya perbuatan itu yang didakwa berlaku pada satu majlis makan malam anjuran Tourism Malaysia.

“Saya sendiri akan membawa ke mesyuarat Jemaah Menteri atas ketidaksetujuan UMNO. Sebagai presiden parti, kita menolak 100 peratus,” kata timbalan perdana menteri pada sidang media selepas melancarkan Skuad Yayasan Pelajaran MARA (YPM) 2025 peringkat Johor di Larkin, semalam.

Menyifatkan perbuatan itu tidak wajar serta bercanggah dengan kedudukan Malaysia sebagai negara Islam, beliau menegaskan, penganjuran acara rasmi kerajaan perlu mengambil kira sensitiviti bangsa serta agama dan dalam kes terbaharu itu, sensitiviti umat Islam dan agama Persekutuan.

“Tentunya kita harus menolak dan kita mesti tidak bersetuju dengan program berkenaan. Malaysia adalah negara Islam dan kita menghormati agama, budaya serta kelaziman lain-lain agama,” katanya yang juga Menteri Kemajuan Desa dan Wilayah.

Terdahulu, tular gambar memaparkan program didakwa Global Travel Meet 2025 Gala Dinner di bawah Tourism Malaysia menyajikan minuman beralkohol.

Namun Menteri Pelancongan, Seni dan Budaya, Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing menegaskan pihak industri dan sektor swasta teruja dengan acara global yang julung kali dianjurkan Tourism Malaysia itu sehingga menaja serta meraikan rakan-rakan industri antarabangsa melalui majlis makan malam berkenaan.

Tambahnya lagi, acara selama dua hari setengah dianjurkan dengan inisiatif pihak industri serta sektor swasta itu berjaya menjana impak ekonomi bernilai RM420 juta.

 

Umno protests alcohol at official events

DEPUTY prime minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says he will raise Umno’s objection to the serving of alcohol at the dinner held in conjunction with Tourism Malaysia’s Global Travel Meet (GTM) at the Cabinet meeting.

Zahid, who is also the Umno president, said official government events must take into account the sensitivities of Muslims, adding that the serving of alcohol at such events has never been part of official government programmes before and must be rejected.

“Of course, we must reject and disagree with (what happened). Malaysia is a Muslim country, even though we respect the practice of other religions and cultures. This was a government event.

“As Umno president, (I say that) we reject this 100%,” Sinar Harian reported him as saying in Johor Bahru on Sunday.

On Saturday, tourism, arts and culture minister Tiong King Sing distanced the ministry from Masjid Tanah MP Mas Ermieyati Samsudin’s claim that alcohol was served at a government-hosted dinner, saying it was organised by industry players.

However, PAS information chief Ahmad Fadhli Shaari argued that because the event appeared on Tourism Malaysia’s official website and was scheduled as part of the official programme, the government must still bear responsibility.

Former minister Khairy Jamaluddin also accused Tiong of misleading the public in an Instagram story, showing an excerpt of the invitation letter listing Tourism Malaysia as the organiser.

In a statement to FMT yesterday, Tiong insisted that industry players had taken over the gala dinner, saying that while Tourism Malaysia was initially the organiser, private sector players saw an opportunity to secure substantial business deals.

“Recognising this opportunity, they voluntarily offered to take over and host the gala dinner themselves,” he said.

He said Tourism Malaysia’s director-general had sought his approval for the change, which he granted as it would also help reduce government expenditure.

 

Derma Tabung Perjuangan