SHAH ALAM: Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed its disappointment over the recent issue involving its president, Datuk Sri Tiong King Sing, who is also Tourism, Arts, and Culture Minister.
The party's Youth Chief David Yeo said it was sad to see political officials aggravate and confuse people further on the matter.
"I’m appalled that political veterans such as my counterpart in Umno, namely its Youth Chief Dr Akmal, would make baseless accusations for political mileage without knowing the facts.
"If Dr Akmal spent even an ounce of time looking into the matter, he would know these are reoccurring issues. Does he suggest we just turn a blind eye and pretend nothing is happening?
Yeo also reminded Dr Akmal that Malaysia Madani is not just a political slogan; it is a set of guiding principles that bring about an accountable and transparent government.
"If he believes in the unity government, he needs to withdraw his remarks and apologise to Datuk Seri Tiong."
On Thursday, it was reported that Tiong had personally stepped in to help a Chinese national after she was held up by immigration officers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on arrival from China.
On Friday, Dr Akmal condemned the alleged misconduct of a minister at the KLIA, urging Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take action.
He said the minister's position should be revoked for intruding into the arrival hall of KLIA Terminal 1 to release a detained Chinese visitor.
He said this incident, which is not the first time, has seriously exposed weaknesses within government agencies to cooperate and create a safe environment for tourists to visit Malaysia.
"And we absolutely require that to recover from our struggling tourism industry post-Covid," he said.
The Immigration Department, Yeo said, must clearly provide explanations on several matters pertaining to the incident.
"Among that, the fact that a Chinese tourist could not get interpreters from a multi-racial country is laughable. Where are the trained translators? "And what of the allegations of a demand for unreasonable fees? Has it been determined these fees are not illegal in nature? he asked.
He also questioned why the focus was shifted to the minister and not on the gaping problems that have been tarnishing Malaysia’s image for years.
"He clearly has a valid pass for the arrival hall, so why still stay on the trivial and not on the real problems?" he asked.