Malaysia’s opposition yesterday demanded that the government scrap its decision to spend nearly US$300,000 on former Formula One Ferrari team boss Jean Todt as its overseas tourism ambassador.
The call came after the government confirmed it had allocated 1 million ringgit (US$283,000) for Todt, made the ambassador last month for two years to promote Malaysia’s tourism in the face of falling visitor numbers.
It was not clear whether the amount is the annual budget or to be spent over the Frenchman’s two-year appointment. Tourism Ministry officials could not be reached for immediate comment.
PHOTO: AFP
“Just because he is volunteering his services, you cannot expect him to pay out of his own pocket,” Malaysian Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen was quoted as saying by the New Straits Times newspaper.
“Besides, 1 million ringgit in Europe gets you nothing nowadays,” she added.
Lawmaker Azmin Ali from the opposition Keadilan party told reporters that the money could be put to better use, especially with Malaysia headed for a technical recession this year.
“It is ironic that the government is spending so much on one person,” said Azmin, who first revealed the allocation for Todt in parliament on Wednesday.
“It is ridiculous and didn’t make sense at all. We can make full use of the money in this time of crisis for education or jobs training,” he added.
Todt is engaged to glamorous Malaysia-born action star and former Bond girl Michelle Yeoh, and was reportedly picked by Malaysian tourism authorities for “his international presence and connections.”
The 63-year-old last visited Malaysia a week ago and dined with multinational company leaders at a tourism event.
Tourism was Malaysia’s second-highest foreign exchange earner in 2007, raking in US$14 billion in revenue from 21 million tourist arrivals, but it expects the number to fall to 20 million this year.
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