Integrated Strategic Communications (ISC) chief executive officer Austen Zecha lashed out today at Datuk Seri Dr Ng Yen Yen for stirring up local sentiment against him by labelling him a “Dutch Trader”.
Zecha, who is being sued by the tourism minister for claiming that she solicited a bribe, said that Dr Ng has referred to him as being Dutch or an American residing in Indonesia but “nothing about my having been a permanent resident in Malaysia since 1987.”
“That reference to me as the ‘Dutchman’ is, according to my friends, supporters and relatives here and abroad, either derogatory, racist or a pathetic attempt to galvanise local or her constituents’ sentiment against me,” said the advertising agency’s founder..
In a press statement today, Zecha said that Dr Ng (picture) was “trying to isolate me from my profession, company and even partners.”
“Then again, as some industry colleagues have pointed out, that ‘Dutchman’ reference of me was made by someone who not long ago even had to prove she had given up her Australian Permanent Resident for political purposes here,” he added.
He said that it was obvious that the attacks from the MCA vice president was due to “the plain and simple fact that I am the CEO of the company which basically ‘blew the whistle’ on the account’s recent ambiguous tender process by withdrawing its candidacy” for the renewal of a three-year advertising deal with Tourism Malaysia.
The advertising agency behind the award-winning “Malaysia, Truly Asia” tourism campaign withdrew its bid on March 17 after claiming that it was asked for bribes in exchange for the advertising and promotions deal worth RM381 million.
The five recipients of the tenders were Naga DDB for the Asean market with a contract value of RM25 million a year, SMASCOM & Designs Sdn Bhd for East and North Asia (RM25 million), Sen Media Sdn Bhd for South Asia, West Asia and Africa (RM26 million), M&C Saatchi Sdn Bhd for Europe, America, Oceania (RM21 million) and Impact Creations for domestic and events (RM30 million).
ISC has insisted that it had both conceived and produced the campaign for the past 12 years and earned 40 awards for its effectiveness, despite a recent claim by former Culture, Arts and Tourism Minister Tan Sri Abdul Kadir Sheikh Fadzir that the initiative had been his.
Dr Ng retaliated by filing a defamation suit on April 14 against Zecha which is due to be heard in the high court here on May 16.
“We cannot say that just because a company has failed to secure a tender, after getting it for 12 years at a value of more than RM160 million, and now it has raised all kinds of things.
“As a minister, it is my responsibility to ensure that the truth is told, not only the lies,” she was quoted as saying in theSun daily when Zecha made his claims in March.
Zecha added today that he has worked in Malaysia since 1962, first as a journalist, then in advertising and public relations from 1974 to the present, earning his permanent residence in 1987.
He said that whatever Dr Ng’s objective in labelling him a Dutchman, “I very much doubt (it) will be served as Malaysians today are not what some of their ancestors may have been like during the days of ‘Dutchmen’ here a few hundred years ago, when only God knows what her ancestors were doing, and where.”
He added that his motive in making the graft claim was not political and was “genuinely very sorry” to see the opposition criticise Barisan Nasional (BN) over the issue.
Zecha said that his company had also worked for BN in the last four general elections and his “beef is not against Barisan at all, and not even against Tourism Malaysia... but plainly and simply against whoever forces the Tourism marketing body to become so ‘ambiguous’, questionable and controversial.”
