Nazri Aziz’s ‘voluntourism’ remark insensitive, unhelpful, says MCA committee member

SHAH ALAM - Padang Rengas MP Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz’s remarks that there is a potential for the annual floods in the country to become a tourism attraction by promoting "voluntourism", or volunteer tourism was sensitive and unhelpful

MCA Central Committee Member Lau Chin Kok who described the statement as "daring" said it could not be more off-based.

Simultaneously, he said the statement was an insult to the nation’s tourism sector, volunteer bodies as well as the flood victims.

“There is nothing that should be celebrated about the annual floods which afflict our nation.

“Looking at the loss of possessions and lives from the floods, as well as locals who now get anxious at the sight of cloudy weather, (how) can Nazri still utter such insensitive remarks?,” Lau said in a statement, today.

He urged Nazri to provide constructive suggestions that could help ease the people’s hardships, instead of ‘clumsy attempts’ to make optimistic remarks after people have lost their homes and loved ones.

He said the former tourism and culture minister oversimplifying the process as “we have a flood festival, where foreigners come to do volunteer work and they pay” was extremely disrespectful to volunteers.

“Nazri should not just casually bring up the role of volunteers as if it is a simple summer vacation.

“Time, energy, resources are needed, not to mention the risk to personal health and safety that they put themselves in,” he said.

In addition, Lau said generating income from the people’s misery should be the last thing on the government’s mind because of their responsibility is to protect people by making efforts to prevent floods from happening and ensure minimal losses.

During a recent interview with Sinar Daily, Nazri made a statement suggesting that the annual floods that hit the country have the potential to be a tourism attraction.

He said instead of crying over the situation going beyond control, the country should seek opportunities to promote volunteer tourism.

He said this in response to a Sinar Harian report that the flood which took place at the end of last year may recur.

"In Kuala Krai for example, the flood is like a festival. Every monsoon, we have a flood festival, and people will come.

"Because now there is "voluntourism", where foreigners come to do volunteer work and they pay (to buy tickets and so on),” he said.