Airport staff are the front face of a country’s tourism as they directly interact with tourists who have just landed in the country. However, these two security guards in Malaysia failed to realise that as they were extremely rude towards two tourists at the airport.
This incident took place at KLIA2 airport and was witnessed by Amy Tnay Li Ping from the Sarawak United People’s Party, who subsequently took it to Facebook. Amy, who is the Central Woman Section Advisor, was appalled by the security guards’ terrible manners.
Source: facebook
She wrote,
“I was shocked by the two security guards when passing by the immigration counter at KLIA2. There were two Chinese tourists in front of me and they had asked the guards in Mandarin where should they go if they wanted to transit to Penang.
“One of the guards answered, “Saya tak faham Cina, you cakap Melayu, kalau tak pandai cakap Melayu, balik China!'”
Amy immediately went forward to assist the tourists until they passed the checkpoint. She has since lodged a complaint to the Immigration Department and Tourism Ministry so that further action could be taken.
Source: facebook
“All these years, we’ve been trying so hard to promote the tourism in Malaysia and particularly in Sarawak. If I didn’t see it with my own eyes, I would never believe such a thing had happened,” she added.
In an interview with Sinchew, Amy told the local daily that the tourism industry is a booming sector in Malaysia and is one of the most efficient ways to boost the country’s economy. Therefore, the airport staff should be on top of their game since they are responsible for shaping the tourists’ first impression towards Malaysia.
At the time of writing, the Immigration Department and Tourism Ministry have yet to issue a statement on this incident.
This news had garnered quite some attention on social media. Netizens reckoned that the security guards should undergo training in handling tourists from different countries instead of expecting foreign tourists to understand our national language.
Or better yet, they can take a page from this security guard’s book who taught himself seven languages in order to communicate better with tourists. Check out the full story below!
Also read: Putrajaya Mosque Guard Taught Himself 7 Languages Just to Communicate With Tourists
