Hotel tax in wake of 1MDB imbroglio, what’s next?

Tourism tax: Nazri ticks off ‘rookie’ S’wak minister

Vijay47: The last laugh is with Sarawak Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, not with you, Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz, despite your senior service.

Your claim of having an abundance of experience in governing, which considering that it was with Umno, is nothing to write home about.

You see only the superficial when your colleague views the hotel tax issue, and indeed Sarawak’s entire relationship with Putrajaya, from a wider perspective. Your crude response confirms his protest.

From the day Sarawak was formed – not joined Malaysia with Sabah and Malaya – it has been bullied and abused by Umno, their wealth ferried to Putrajaya and they are expected to be grateful for the pittance returned to them.

Laws benefitting only West Malaysia are thrust upon the eastern stepchildren when, under the terms of the Malaysia Agreement, the two were supposed to have some degree of independence, especially on local matters.

But they deserve the desserts they enjoy now, betrayed as always by their own leaders.

Odin Tajué: Abdul Karim, you now get a taste of how Malayans regard you lot in the second poorest state in Malaysia – second poorest despite the abundance of natural resources, particularly petroleum and timber.

And I say, serve you right for bowing and scraping and grovelling and prostrating to your ‘tuans’ in Malaya for the last very long 54 years. You made reference to the Malaysia Agreement 1963, but what have you done about the contract?

I have commented before that most of the points contained therein had been dishonoured since even before the ink on the document had dried, so to speak, that the Agreement was entered into merely to entice Sabah and Sarawak to come together with Malaya and Singapore to form Malaysia. That comment of mine was published by Malaysiakini.

You Sarawak (and Sabah) ministers have done absolutely nothing. You have done nothing because as long as you yourselves are very comfortable from the hundreds and thousands of millions that you have been getting from timber mainly, you care not two hoots about your own states and your fellow Sabahans and Sarawakians.

You have willy-nilly become the ‘fixed deposits’ of Malaya and allowed Malaya to screw you out of your petroleum and sundry sources of revenues so that, among numerous other things, their children’s failed business could be bailed out, magnificent structures and highways could be constructed, and their alleged thieves could fly on private jets or first class on commercial flights to the capitals of the world to holiday, to shop, to whatever.

All this while your people drive on muddy tracks and paddle longboats in your rivers, whatever few hospitals you have are bursting at the seams, your schools get blown down in heavy rain and strong wind and washed away to rivers, etc.

There is only one hotel in Miri, Abdul Karim? The last time I stopped over at Miri while on transit to Brunei, there were certainly more than one very decent hotel there. That shows how ignorant your ‘tuans’ are, doesn’t it? And that ignorance is not the only instance, is it?

No, you won’t answer me. You will quietly bear all the insults from your ‘tuans’ for as long as you can remain in your position. Enjoy your grovelling and sucking up to your ‘tuans’.

Sarawakian: Abdul Karim, we have known each other for 20-plus years. I always did tell you to give Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) the middle finger. Now you get it?

Slumdog: I detect a voice of unbridled arrogance from Nazri. I wonder if he was a school bully? It looks like nobody else is allowed to challenge his decisions.

According to him, alternative or dissenting views or wanting to protect the interest of your state’s citizens is showing arrogance. Why is it that only Umno’s views, ideas and policies must always prevail above all others?

Jehangir: It’s time for Sarawak parties to quit BN. Teach this loud-mouth tourism minister a lesson. But do these rudderless parties with corrupt leadership have the gumption to do so?

Worried Sick: Nazri, oh Nazri! What impudence on your part. What arrogance. Is this ministerial talk, advice?

What example are you showing to the young ones who will read what you have said about the ‘setahun jagung’ minister from Sarawak?

Explain to the people who have opposing views in a gentlemanly manner. Why the crass language over and over again to make your point? Come on, Nazri, be a minister!

Dont Just Talk: In short, what the ‘Samseng Minister’ is telling Sabah and Sarawak is that with just only a few five-star hotels which can be counted at your fingertip, can just shut up.

Thank you, Nazri, for your clarification, and with a new sheriff in town, those ‘setahun jagung’ state ministers should just shut up and learn from a senior, seasoned BN minister.

Ikanbilis: I cannot believe that a “senior minister of Malaysia” could speak with such arrogance and ‘samseng’ tone. There is total lack of basic professionalism and respect.

Anonymous 2401191456463140: Nazri, you have to learn that federal laws are not enforceable in the Borneo states, unless the two state legislatures give their consent.

Anonymous 2460391489930458: Sarawakians, will you ever learn? As far as the West Malaysian BN government is concerned, you have no real role to play, except to be their fixed deposit and keep returning them to power, so they can piss on all our heads.

Basically, you are only important to BN during the general elections. Since you have repeatedly handed the victory to BN, don’t complain.

Mushiro: Nazri is no ‘samseng’, but he knows who to hit and who to apple-polish. The MO1 has not enough funds and the Tourism Ministry is asked to collect tax and Nazri obediently agrees. He does not argue with MO1.

Nazri’s flaring up is to distract people from questioning the rationale of the tax. Next, some other ministry will be asked to collect another new tax.

Najib’s 1MDB scandal has drained out all the funds and the government will now have to squeeze from everywhere possible.

TC Chan: So far, we haven’t been told how this tax on hotel rooms can benefit tourism in Malaysia. How would more expensive rooms bring in more tourists? Is this tax in addition to GST (goods and services tax)?

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