Previously, photos from the Global Travel Meet 2025 Gala Dinner went viral after Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing and several guests were seen holding glasses of wine and beer.
Following the backlash, Tiong later clarified that alcohol was only served after the event had ended.
Tiong King Sing
“The dinner wasn’t a government event”
The issue soon caught widespread attention, and even Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim stepped in, issuing a stern warning to Tiong and his ministry, reminding them that serving alcohol at official government events must never happen again.
Utusan Malaysia quoted Tiong as expressing regret in the Dewan Rakyat today over the confusion and inconvenience caused by the allegations. He added that he made a mistake by not announcing that the event was taken over by industry players and not an official MOTAC programme.
Furthermore, Tiong said his ministry takes all feedback seriously and clarified that the dinner was not an official government function.
“My ministry and I deeply regret any misunderstanding or dissatisfaction this issue may have caused among the public. Once again, we sincerely apologise for the inconvenience,” he said.
“The event secured RM100 million in tourism deals”
Tiong further explained that the dinner, which was attended by around 600 international tourism players, was fully organised by a private company as part of efforts to boost Malaysia’s tourism sector.
“The industry players handled everything. It wasn’t an official government dinner; our logo was just used,” he said.
He also clarified that the event doesn’t fall under Service Circular 3/2003 since it wasn’t a government function.
“I want to stress again, this was a private event, not an official one, so the circular doesn’t apply, and the alcohol issue shouldn’t have even come up,” he added.
MOTAC accepts the Prime Minister’s advice
Tiong also responded to the stern warning by the Prime Minister, stressing that his ministry accepts the advice.
“The Prime Minister provided advice, we accept. I said don’t repeat playing politics, accuse and (allegedly) insult Muslims. We didn’t insult, in any of our events, there is no alcohol on the table,” the MOTAC Minister clarified.
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