SARAWAK ministers and deputy ministers in the federal cabinet cannot object to any government initiatives in the Dewan Rakyat, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

Wan Junaidi said this is in line with the spirit of collective responsibility as practised in Commonwealth countries, the Borneo Post reported today.

“This is what we call collective responsibility and it is practised in every Commonwealth country in the world. If you want to know why Sarawakian MPs did not voice out against the bill, you will have to ask MPs who do not have any ministerial posts,” said Wan Junaidi, who was deputy speaker from 2008 until 2013. Wan Junaidi is also the Santubong MP.

The Tourism Tax Bill passed in the last parliamentary sitting on April 5. Five-star accommodations will be levied RM20 per room per night; four-star (RM10); three to two stars (RM5); and orchid and other non-rated accommodation premises (RM2.50).  

State Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah on Monday objected to the implementation of the bill and asked that it be deferred until the state has been consulted.

He said the introduction of the bill is against the spirit of the Malaysia Agreement 1963.

In response, federal Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz said Sarawak would stand to benefit from the new tax which would be equally shared among three regions – the peninsula, Sabah and Sarawak, with Peninsular Malaysia contributing more as it has more five-star hotels.

Nazri said the state was consulted as the bill was discussed in the federal cabinet and debated in Parliament attended by Sarawak MPs and federal ministers.

Lubok Antu MP William Nyallau Badak said not all Sarawak and Sabah MPs supported the Tourism Tax Bill.

“We were briefed about the bill before that and some of Sarawakian MPs agreed to it because Nazri said it would benefit Sarawak as the tax collected will be divided into three portions for the three regions of Sarawak, Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia,” he said.

Nyallau, however, said the federal government should have consulted Chief Minister Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg first before announcing its implementation, which will impact on Sarawak’s tourism industry. – June 14, 2017.