The real issue is why was so much money was spent on facebook and the job was given to a particular company instead of asking the IT department of Tourism Malaysia to do it. The Tourism Ministry instead has invited the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to check on its RM1.8 million allocation for a promotional campaign and branding through the social media.
Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen said yesterday that secretary general of the ministry Datuk Dr Ong Hong Peng, on her directive, called on the MACC yesterday to invite it to investigate the spending on the campaign.
"Come and check please. There's nothing to hide. We are absolutely transparent. As far as we are concerned, we are very upright," she told reporters after the launch here of the coffee table book "Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside: The Jewel in the Crown of Putrajaya".
Dr Ng said that she was disappointed and hurt by the insinuations made on the RM1.8 million allocation which the opposition seemed to have convinced people was solely for creating a Facebook.
She reiterated that the allocation was to run, manage and monitor a tourism campaign in the social media, including RM360,000 for advertising and over RM500,000 for prizes for the contests organised.
Dr Ng said that she was committed to diversifying the channels for tourism promotion instead of depending only on the traditional print and electronic media.
"There are 700 million people in the social media, and if you do not believe that the social media can boost marketing you are not with the current crowd," she said.
If she so believe on the power of the new media how come only less that 40,000 people has visited her facebook site so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment