Let's get serious about Tourism Ministry

THE announcement by Integrated Strategic Communications (ISC) on its withdrawing from a lucrative advertising campaign has sent shock waves within the industry.

As its CEO and president, Austen Zecha, said: "Some Malaysian agencies have in the past declined to tender for certain accounts, but rarely has one withdrawn its tender or bid after submission."

What would have driven an agency which is behind the successful Malaysia Truly Asia campaign for 12 years, to the point of frustration that it would withdraw a bid?This is something not just for the Tourism Ministry to respond to but also the authorities to be concerned about.

Is ISC’s gripe a case of sour grapes? But the fact remains that we should have begun a new campaign on Jan 1 and till now no one has explained the developments over the RM600 million advertising and promotions contract of which a lion’s share goes to the Malaysia Truly Asia campaign.

This also means that there has been no buzz for our promotions campaign to draw tourists from abroad. So what is happening?The commercial crimes division of Bukit Aman and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission have had their radar on the ministry for awhile now, having charged its then director-general for commercial breach of trust.

The consensus among those in the advertising and tourism industry is that Datuk Mirza Mohammad Taiyab Beg is a victim of those who were fed up with his insistence of following procedures.

This is of course for the court which is trying him to decide, but the circumstantial events around his arrest and charging on Aug 16, 2010 – the day that the advertising and promotions tender expired – does give much fodder for conspiracy theories.

Now that a respected international ad agency has added another feather in the ministry’s hat of shenanigans, there must be more than an overwhelming need to open investigation papers and bring closure to the chronicles of the Tourism Ministry.

Source = thesundaily