#masidi

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/04/20/dont-use-iconic-animals-for-commercial-publicity-stunt-says-masidi/

Don't use iconic animals for commercial publicity stunt, says Masidi

KOTA KINABALU, April 20, 2015:

Using iconic animals, especially those under the threat of extinction, for commercial publicity stunt does not work. In fact, it backfires.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said such move should be avoided. He said this while commenting on the use of Sabah’s iconic orangutan by international nightspot chain Hard Rock Cafe Kota Kinabalu (HRCKK), in what netizens described to be “distasteful”.

“It does not portray a good image of Sabah or even HRC (Hard Rock Cafe) itself,” he told The Rakyat Post in a text message today.

He said animal right groups all over the world were not happy with the promotional poster, with some calling for a boycott of HRCKK.

“We want to avoid a situation where these groups would urge international tourists to boycott Sabah over a controversial depiction of the much-loved orangutan,” said Masidi.

He said HRCKK was expected to come up with a statement soon to end the controversy.

A photograph of a banner showing an orangutan dressed in a rock frock playing electric guitar in a very unnatural pose, which was used by HRCKK to promote its outlet in the city, were posted on Facebook, drawing criticisms from netizens.

Sabah Wildlife Department director William Baya said the department had been receiving comments from around the world through social media postings, including Twitter and emails, and even calls from as far as Australia, over the matter.

He said HRCKK had expressed their wish to work with the department to support its conservation works in the state and, while it agreed to the idea, Baya had advised them to drop the plan of using the orangutan photo for its media promotional banners.

Baya added that the department advised the company that such photo would give a negative connotation of how Sabah portrayed and protected its orangutans, explaining that animal welfare groups worldwide would be on a warpath, condemning Sabah for the move.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/13/sabahs-list-ethnics-sub-ethnics-endorsed-gazetted-soon-says-masidi/

Sabah's list of ethnics and sub-ethnics to be endorsed, gazetted soon, says Masidi

KOTA KINABALU,  Feb 13, 2015:

Efforts are undertaken to endorse Sabah’s 42 ethnic groups and over 200 sub-ethnics as part of the move to do away the “lain-lain” (others) words for the race column in official government forms.

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, in disclosing this, said he would be tabling the list of ethnics and sub-ethnics in next week’s Cabinet meeting for endorsement.

“We will meet on Feb 18 and after this step, we will submit the list to the government, particularly the National Registration Department, to be gazetted, so they have a reference of the races of people in Sabah,” he told reporters after closing the Sabah Ethnic and Sub-Ethnic Listing and Classification Workshop here today.

The workshop was carried out to identify the ethnicity of Sabahans.

“When all is done, Sabahans may just write down their ethnicity in the race column. The words ‘lain-lain’ for the race column may no longer be a problem, except for ‘lain-lain hal’ (other matters),” he said.

Earlier, Masidi called on the event organisers, namely the Sabah Cultural Board and Sabah Native Affairs Office, to hold similar programmes at least once biennially.

“This is to allow us to review the list. Who knows if we find new ethnics, which may have been left out due to its small numbers,” citing the Bonggi people, who are mainly found in an island in Banggi, only rediscovered about a decade ago.

He also asked people to notify either the two institutions or the state government should their race be left out of the list.

“We want all races in Sabah to be represented and listed,” Masidi concluded.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/13/everyone-needs-cool-says-masidi-minors-conversion-islam/

Everyone needs to cool down, says Masidi on minor's conversion to Islam

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 13, 2015:

A state minister today has expressed optimism that the alleged controversial conversion of a teenage girl will reach an amicable solution sooner or later.

“We need to cool down for a moment and look at the facts, devoid of any emotion. Let’s take a breather on the issue for now,” said Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.

This was his advice to the family members and parties involved on the matter.

The minister in charge of education said it was vital especially with so much tension and emotions created by the issue.

“(Of course) there may be problem here and there, but at the end of the day, we always find a way to sort it out.

“And that is what makes Sabah unique actually. And I believe this will be the case in this particular case,” Masidi told reporters after closing the Sabah Ethnic and Sub-Ethnic Listing and Classification Workshop here today.

He was commenting on the alleged conversion of a 16-year-old student at Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Kinarut recently.

The drama unfolded after the teenager’s father, Jilius Yapoo, lodged a police report, claiming the school had failed to inform him of the conversion, which was done in the presence of the school’s former hostel warden.

It was learnt that Jilius found out about his daughter’s conversion after relatives told him that they saw the teenager wearing a tudung (Muslim headscarf) at school.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2015/02/05/kok-not-welcomed-shes-threat-peace-says-sabah-minister/

Kok not welcomed as she's a threat to peace, says Sabah minister

KOTA KINABALU, Feb 5, 2015:

Sabah’s door is always open to those who respect the prevailing unity, peace and harmony in the state.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun, however, said those who were bent on inciting hatred to disunite the people are not welcome.

Responding to the ban on Seputeh Member of Parliament Teresa Kok, who was booked on the 3.30pm flight back to Kuala Lumpur upon arrival in Sandakan just 25 minutes earlier, he said in a statement: “If we have intelligence that shows your presence here is to cause disturbance and a threat the peace and harmony we have enjoyed all this while, you are not welcomed here.”

He went on to accuse the Opposition of using “dirty political tactics” and “propaganda of lies and deceit” to mislead the people in an attempt to garner their support.

Masidi claimed that the Opposition would go to the rural areas to hoodwink the people and incite hatred against the government, apart from causing disunity among the different races.

This, he said, was dangerous and the state government did not want this in Sabah.

Masidi said Sabah was the epitome of racial and religious harmony and tolerance in Malaysia despite political differences.

“It is our strength and we won’t allow anyone to change this.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/11/25/nazri-doesnt-need-official-invitation-visit-sabah/

'Nazri doesn't need official invitation to visit Sabah'

KOTA KINABALU, Nov 25, 2014:

Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz is free to visit Sabah anytime. In fact, he does not need any official invitation as it falls into his portfolio to promote tourism spots in every state in Malaysia.

“Plus Sabah is part of Malaysia. He (Nazri) does not need an invitation. In fact it’s his duty to visit Sabah to confirm it is safe,” the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun told The Rakyat Post today. .

He said this when asked to comment on Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s invitation to Nazri to visit Sabah with him, without the presence of bodyguards.

Masidi said since making the negative remark on Sabah’s security, Nazri had yet to call or check with the state’s relevant authorities on the security situation in Sabah.

Adamant with his stand that several areas in Sabah was unsafe, Nazri had not only said that he would inform his tourism officials not to help promote Sabah abroad, but had also asked the Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, Masidi, the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (Matta) and Sabah Tourism Board (STB) to go to China and meet up with the media there to give assurance that Sabah was safe.

“That’s what we, Matta, STB and myself, have been doing all along, engaging the Chinese travel industry in low-key meetings, knowing their sentiments on Malaysia, on confidence-building initiatives,” said Masidi, in response to Nazri’s challenge.

Masidi, who is also attending the 2014 Umno General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur, said to date, he had no plans of meeting with his federal counterpart, but added: “I am sure we’ll bump into each other.”

Meanwhile, Ahmad Zahid extended the invitation to Nazri today, stressing that Sabah’s safety was ensured through the establishment of the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom).

“I feel that the situation has improved and I invite the Tourism Minister to visit the areas with me without the presence of bodyguards.

“With curfews imposed, Esszone (Eastern Sabah Security Zone) areas are increasingly safer and more foreign tourists, especially from China, are visiting because of the confidence in the abilities of Esscom authorities,” he said.

New Post has been published on http://www.therakyatpost.com/news/2014/04/08/masidi-to-have-dialogue-with-sabah-resort-operators/

Masidi to have dialogue with Sabah resort operators

KUALA LUMPUR, April 8:

Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun hopes to hold a special dialogue session with resort operators in the state following last week’s abduction case in Semporna.

He said there was a need to take another look at the implications of the incident, which occurred nearly five months after a murder-abduction case at a resort in the same district that led to a special dialogue session with state tourism industry players, which included resort operators, in November last year.

“Hopefully, I will be able to call for a meeting with the resort operators in the near future so that I will have another round of dialogue with them to fine-tune what we had agreed on last year,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

“We should not be downhearted following what has happened.

“We should take this incident as a lesson learnt and we would like to move from there,” he said after the topping-up ceremony for Gleneagles Hospital in Kota Kinabalu today.

On April 2, a Chinese tourist and a Filipino resort worker were abducted by a group of armed men from a resort at Pulau Singamata, Semporna.

The incident came just months after a murder-abduction case in which a Taiwanese man was shot dead at a resort at Pulau Pom Pom, Semporna, on Nov 15 last year. His companion was abducted by a group of men in the 1am incident, but later freed in the Philippines.

Masidi was optimistic the state would be able to achieve its target of 3.4 million visitors by year end despite the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 aircraft tragedy and the abduction case.