KUCHING, October 7 2025: Sarawak activist Peter John Jaban has reminded Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to stop giving lectures on morality with regards to the consumption of alcohol at a private sector dinner where Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing was the guest of honour.

He said instead of giving lecture on morality, Zahid should focus on getting rid of corruption, the real disease of Malaysia.
“Why does a glass of beer at a private tourism dinner provoke national fury while corruption, abuse of power and bribery barely move the conscience of our leaders?

“This is Malaysia’s greatest moral failure, we punish what’s visible and excuse what’s vile,” Peter said in a statement.

He said Tiong, a Sarawakian Christian, attended a privately funded tourism gala that contributed RM420 million to Malaysia’s economy.

“No taxpayers’ money was used, and no one was disrespected. Yet, Umno and PAS leaders turned a few glasses of beer into a “national insult”,” he said.

Hed noted that Umno Youth chief Dr Akmal Saleh and other leaders demanded Tiong’s sacking, while PAS leaders screamed betrayal.

“A private-sector event became a political circus overnight.

“Why there is a hypocrisy and double standards?” Peter asked.

He said as former law minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim once said that “condemning alcohol costs nothing, but condemning corruption costs careers.”

Peter reminded that billions of ringgit are lost annually to leakages, abuse of power, and mismanagement while many high-profile corruption cases end in acquittals or DNAA (discharge not amounting to acquittal) reinforcing the belief that Malaysia has two systems of law: one for the powerful, and another for the people.

He said Malaysia’s moral crisis is not about alcohol, it is about corruption, hypocrisy, and misplaced priorities.

Source: Gedong Express