Dear STGA Members

STGA Executive Committee wants to express our absolute disappointment on SNRTGA for being unprofessional and unethical in their statement at New Sabah Times (16^th October 2013).

We wish to clarify and rationale their misleading points made by the disgruntle SNRTGA.

A. SNORTGA claims it is important that Tourist Guide Association to be affiliated to MTGC in order to be     protected and get guiding license hence the reason why SNRTGA is formed.

STGA Respond :

1. There is no LEGAL FRAMEWORK that required a State TGA to be affiliated to MTGC, This argument is further confirmed by En. Fatimy of MOTAC in our email correspondence which was also forwarded to WFTGA President emails last year October as STGA were in the process of registering as a member in the World Federation of Tourist Guides Association.

2. We urged them to prove the availability of these LEGAL FRAMEWORK, and if there is none available within seven working days from the date of this posting in writing officially to STGA EXCO. We expect them to be brave enough to come out on the local paper apologizing to the state tourism stakeholder for deliberately giving misleading information.

3. Not affiliated to MTGC did not stop STGA to defend various issues on numerous time thus had continue to protect Sabah Tourist Guides interest, welfare and professions reputation

4. Not affiliated to MTGC did not stop our members from getting their tourist guide license.

5. Based on the official letter by the former State Director at MOTAC (Puan Nely), following are the actual conversation transcript between MOTAC and SNRTGA given to STGA of what Dabalun Balau (SNRTGA President) said to why he decided to establish a new association.

“They responded it is because they want to be affiliated with MTGC. I said we were told that STGA members signed a petition to be de-affiliated from MTGC during the EGM. Mr. Dabalun said, they gave their signatures because they were told by the STGA Exco that the signatures were about to put a petition to get a decrease of membership fees from MTGC. However, during the STGA EGM, their signatures were used as a petition to de-affiliate from MTGC instead.” Date : 10/12/2012

STGA official respond to that particular statement as follows ;

“The statement made by Mr Dabalun Balau that members signature were wrongly use as a petition to de-affiliate from MTGC is highly mischievous and false. It is unfortunate that you did not refer to STGA on the authenticity of the claim.

The decision by MOTOUR Sabah to support bad hat and the Sabah Bumiputera TGA is to close a fragmentation of an already weak and limited resource in the tourist guiding industry.

STGA would like to record our protest on this new development.” Date : 12/12/2012

6.  The Former State Director incompetency and bias action lead to the immediate approval for the new association, this are done without consultation nor the desire to acquire the truth. Until today, STGA is still waiting for MOTAC Responses to our official letter and enquiry.

7.  To bring some light of the actual situation, i wish to remind you that Dabalun Balun was then an STGA Executive Committee and was the Head to monitor the petition to call for that particular EGM. Only when the Quorum is enough, the Executive Committee agreed to hold the EGM. During the EGM, the decision to be de-affiliated from MTGC was UNANIMOUS. A decision easily made by members when MTGC President surprisingly declare that he is a toothless tiger after row of intense enquiry to why he as President did not protect Sabah Tourist Guides Interest when he is asked for support on various issues.

8. The underhand tactic made by Dabalun Balau and gang to reposition themselves for glory, power and unknown intention through the help of irresponsible personality  and MTGC of not putting any effort harmonized the tourist guiding industry in Malaysia in this case in Sabah is irresponsible and selfish.

 

B. SNRTGA and MTGC Claim that STGA withdrew its membership since June 10 2012 , however based on the email send on August , STGA were still enquiring of our status. And until today, STGA have not received any official letter from MTGC of STGA De-Affiliation. We urged them to state their fact correctly. Stop hurling confusing remark.

 

C. SNRTGA whom is a Racial Based TGA claim that their association is open to all guides in Sabah. However, SNRTGA deliberately did not disclose that non bumiputera members are not given any voting rights in any policy or decision making.

STGA Executive Committee firmly believe that tourism in sabah should not be tainted with race based agenda and as tourism NGO like ours, should be Apolitical. What we should fight for is economic justice for our professional and more enabling policy for the profession to have better future.

We wish to remind SNRTGA that there limitation to how far one can go on with blatant lies, confusing and contradicting statement in running an association. The Executive Committee wish to share these advise because STGA was establish since 1977, and experiences from new members, senior members and past executive committee whom mostly today are respective leaders, tour operators and trainers in tourism industry highlights that the tourist guiding profession means nothing if we are divided.

We wish to remind MTGC President to take a rest, this is because STGA is experience enough to handle the State’s Tourist Guiding Internal Affairs, challenges in sabah only take place when MTGC from Kuala Lumpur interfere with States Matters through SNRTGA.

We hope that MTGC with good faith to stop from disharmonizing the tourist guiding industry in Sabah and leaders in SNRTGA whom mostly today are still members of STGA to stop promoting racial based association, come to their senses that tourist in sabah do not care if their tourist guide is a bumiputera or not and stand in the coming election if they sincerely believe that Sabah Tourist Guides still need to be babysit by MTGC.

Members, we are at the juncture of troubling times ahead, while some opt to find glory and fame in new grounds and few who choose to stand on the fence.  I urged you once again to be Man and Women of principals, to recognized that division, sugar coated promises and cheap membership fees does not ensure sustainability and hope in this profession. What does, is a united association that is consultative, with principals and works hand in hand with the other tourism stakeholder.

 

 

 
Sincerely,

Daniel Doughty , Chairman, STGA