Explosive charge: Tourism D-G framed, minister implicated
(Free Malaysia Today) – A startling allegation has surfaced concerning the second corruption charge slapped on Tourism Malaysia director-general Mirza Mohammad Taiyab – he is being persecuted for being clean as a whistle. According to a blogger, the charge could be related to a RM600 million contract he had declined to approve for a company linked to Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen’s son.
Mirza is chairman of the Tender Board and strangely enough the closing date for the worldwide advertising tender was on Tuesday, the day after he was hauled to court.
Quoting sources, a posting on the “Another Brick In The Wall” blog claimed that Mirza had been a thorn on Ng’s side since being reinstated to his former position as D-G after his first acquittal.
He had purportedly rejected projects and proposals (approved by the minister) which he had deemed a waste of funds and declined to sanction payments that reeked of corruption.
The clincher apparently was the recent Tourism Development Corporation (TDC) worldwide advertising tender for which he refused to consider awarding a company allegedly linked to Ng’s son.
The blogger claimed that the minister and her son were aiming for a “total sapu (sweep)… and Mirza was getting in the way!”
“But this time round MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) better get it right .. they better not lose the second time to the same person because it will be not only be embarrassing to them but it will taint their reputation,” he added.
In July 2009, Mirza was acquitted by the Sessions Court of a charge of accepting dental implant treatment worth RM13,860 in 2005 after the person who instructed the dentist not to collect payment from Mirza owned up.
“Otherwise, he would have been victimised for being in the way of the then minister of tourism, Azalina Othman Said. Mirza is a man with a clean reputation. No ministry staff has any complaint against him.
“And neither is there any grumbling against him for corruption or abuse of power. He is known as a straight arrow to both staff and industry players,” read the posting.
