Venue is at the Manhattan Ballroom, Level 14, Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur,1 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur.
From what I have learned from friends who are in the Travel & Tours industry, many are not happy with the current leadership of MATTA.
They complain that many of their association members have been neglected by the present leadership of MATTA and a putrid air of discontentment blows rancidly through the nation's main association that holds sway over the daily business of running and managing the travel and tourism related field of Malaysia.
Whether we like it or not, the current status for tourism arrivals in the country has seriously been affected by the recent tragedies involving the loss of MAS Flight MH370 and the downing of MAS MH17!
When I stayed at MAHKOTA HOTEL at Melaka recently, I had a conversation with the Hotel's F&B Manager with regard to how the hotel is surviving? He said that there has been a considerable drop in the number of Chinese tourists who are visiting Malaysia since the MH370 tragedy! Quite a major portion of the ill fated and still missing flight were Chinese tourists.
Malaysian Tourism needs to have the Chinese tourists visiting us for they are the ones who keep our Tour & Travel Agencies in the black despite the notoriety of quite a sizeable number of the Chinese tourists who have become infamous for their brash uncivilized mannerisms which have driven major tourist destination countries like Thailand crying foul due to the antics and eccentricities of the folks from China!
Adding to the drop of the number of Chinese tourists coming to Malaysia, the internal politics of the association has given cause for a group from within MATTA's ranks to call for a fresh new leadership of MATTA!
They have set up a website here and call themselves as the MEMBERS TEAM!
Quite straight forward in their appeal to the members of MATTA, they are led by Haji Abdul Rahman bin Md. Ali, a multi-award winning well established travel industry player who is stepping forward for nomination as the new MATTA President for the 2015-2017 term!
They have come up with a campaign video :
Haji Abdul Rahman who has been in the Malaysian Travel & Tourism Industry for more than 30 years is offering himself to lead MATTA as he and others in the major tour & travel association of Malaysia find the current leadership seriously lacking in the initiative to open up the many doors of opportunity in our developing country for the benefit of its members!
Listen to what he has to share :
Haji Abdul Rahman shares that the members of MATTA are not getting what they should because the current leadership simply do not bother to listen to their grievances and are often at loggerheads with the Ministry of Tourism which in turn causes the industry players like themselves to lose out in the long run.
A cause for concern is shown here.
The security situation in the remote islands off Sabah is still not that secure as proven by the recent kidnapping case of two Malaysian Chinese civilians. Ocean King Restaurant owner Thien Nyuk Fun, 50, and a customer, Bernard Then Ted Fen, 39, were kidnapped during peak dinner hours at a popular seafood restaurant in Sandakan by four armed men dressed in military uniforms last week.
The victims are now believed to be held on a southern Philippine island.
On July 27 last year, a marine police constable, Zakia Aliep, 27, was kidnapped, while his colleague, Corporal Ab Rajah Jamuan, 32, was killed in the incident.
Zakia was however released unharmed on March 7 this year. Read here.
On June 16, 2014, a fish farm operator, Chan Sai Chiun, 32, was kidnapped from the farm before being released on Dec 10 the same year.
So, based upon real time situation, the Deputy Home Minister was not that far off the mark when he was voicing his opinion. Closing down the resorts of the remote islands would not be the best of options but seeing to the improvement of security enforcement would be a better alternative.
But then again, who would want to go holiday in a prison like environment? So, that leaves all parties concerned in a stalemate.
Discuss and negotiate. That should be a better option than to launch a media war against the very ministry that regulates and oversees your business! That's what the MEMBERS TEAM are calling for.
'Cari makan lah! Jangan cari pasal!'
I also became privy to a police report that involved the shenanigans of the current MATTA leadership involving a member of the travel industry but won't comment on that because to me the overall improvement of our country's travel & tourism related industry is more important for me to focus upon.
It's enough that I agree with Haji Abdul Rahman's call for the registered members of MATTA to bring about a fresh new credible, forward thinking new leadership where our country and all related businesses gain new grounds and open up a whole new frontier of 'win-win situations' where Malaysians from all walks of life will prosper and get to enjoy more benefits with a wiser leadership at MATTA!
Constant bickering and being at loggerheads with the Ministry of Tourism isn't going to add more funds to everyone's coffers!
The MEMBERS TEAM Manifesto is:
MEMBERS INTEREST , IS OUR PRIORITY
- Revive the spirit of MATTA’s establishment 35 years ago to be the VOICE of ALL MEMBERS, to champion & uphold the benefits of ALL MATTA MEMBERS, not only for a few selected members.
- Elevate MATTA’s CREDIBILITY & INTEGRITY as an association of UNITY by being represented together with BUMITRA, MCTA& MITA.
- Best overall value-for-money being MATTA members
- Ensure delivery of MATTA’s mission & objective as stated in the Constitution
- Ensure high adherence to MOTAC& observation to global, national & local requirements
- Self sustaining teams delivering professional services & high performance within Secretariat Office and all members
- Cultivate mutual beneficial relationships with business partners & media
When you know that those who are supposed to be taking care of the welfare and rice bowls of the general members of your association are more interested in filling their own coffers and those of their close associates instead, it's time to spring clean your leadership and bring in fresh new dynamic people!
Time for a better credible fresh new team to lead MATTA I say!