KUALA SELANGOR, Feb 25 – Chief Secretary to the Government (KSN) Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali has clarified that the authority to appoint and terminate the services of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board (Tourism Malaysia) director-general Datuk Dr Ammar Abd Ghapar, rests with the Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.
He explained that this matter is clearly outlined in the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board Act 1992 (Act 481).
“In fact, the authority to appoint the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board director-general lies within the jurisdiction of the Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture (MOTAC), as defined by Act 481, granting the minister the power to appoint and terminate an individual’s services.
“At times, it becomes necessary to provide clarification to the public, as I am aware that this issue has been raised and circulated widely on social media and other platforms.
“The official statement released to the public explicitly states that the authority falls under the jurisdiction of the respective minister, and any further clarification will come directly from that minister,” he said on Saturday.
Mohd Zuki said this in response to reports in the local media and social media about Ammar’s dismissal as Malaysian Tourism Director-General which was allegedly stated in a letter dated Feb 22.
According to the letter, the termination of Ammar’s service, effective next Monday (Feb 26), was under Subsection 10 (1) of the Malaysian Tourism Promotion Board Act 1992 (Act 481), read together with Section 47 of the Interpretation Act 1948 and 1967 (Act 388).
Earlier, Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing denied that Ammar was terminated from the post but instead demoted to the post of Tourism Malaysia deputy director-general.
Tiong said the decision was made due to Ammar’s declining performance, which was described as unsatisfactory, despite being advised several times to improve.
