This note draws the Madani leadership’s attention to the growing public unease and administrative concern surrounding the conduct of the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
While his energy and visibility in promoting Malaysia are acknowledged, the repeated controversies during his tenure have become a liability to the government’s image—particularly among the Malay Muslim majority, whose cultural and religious sensitivities must always be safeguarded.
The minister’s tenure has been marred by one controversy after another, each one eroding the dignity of the office he holds. From the serving of alcohol at an official tourism gala, to his deputy’s misguided proposal of branding Langkawi as a “preferred Muslim destination,” and even a national promotional video that managed to omit every symbol of Islam—these are not minor oversights but repeated failures of cultural intelligence and respect.
Earlier storms, including his public dismissal of local religious enforcement as “scaring off tourists,” have left a lingering perception that the sensitivities of the Muslim majority are a nuisance rather than a national foundation. Even if denied, the pattern of provocation has become impossible to ignore.
His habit of crossing ministerial lines—bursting into border operations at KLIA or publicly rebuking DBKL for signage enforcement—may project bravado, but it tramples the principle of Cabinet discipline. What should have been inter-agency coordination too often turns into personal theatre at the expense of government cohesion.
The minister’s public interventions have grown increasingly combative, trading tact for soundbites. Every controversy fuels another headline; every apology arrives only after the damage is done. The cumulative effect has been a trail of embarrassment that now threatens to stain the government’s collective reputation.
Collectively, these incidents reveal lapses in judgment, discretion, and cultural awareness inconsistent with the standards expected of a federal minister. The tourism portfolio requires tact, diplomacy, and an instinct for unity—qualities not consistently reflected in his leadership.
With Malaysia approaching Visit Malaysia Year 2026, continued controversy within the Tourism Ministry threatens to overshadow national branding efforts and risk alienating domestic constituencies whose confidence is vital to the campaign’s success.
It is therefore prudent for the Madani leadership to consider a change of leadership within the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture. A new minister with a deeper appreciation for Malaysia’s multicultural sensitivities and stronger inter-ministerial coordination would help restore confidence, stability, and focus.
The time has come for the Cabinet—especially UMNO and those entrusted with upholding the confidence of the Malay Muslim majority—to demand the removal of this minister who repeatedly provokes the boundaries of public patience and Malay Muslim sensitivities.
Each silence risks being read as consent, and every uncorrected slight deepens the wound of perception. Leadership is not about defending the indefensible, but about recognising when the line of public tolerance has already been crossed.
If the latest alcohol debacle at a ministry function is left without reprimand on the grounds that it was privately funded, we fear that female escorts and “GROs” might be the next level of entertainment used to “brighten up” future official events.
Surely, this cannot be the Madani way that this Prime Minister and government advocate with conviction.
