Tourism?

Thissounded so wrong.

Noting that Beh's victims were foreign tourists, he said: “The image of the country as a tourist destination will be marred. They will take terrifying stories to their countries.

You do not keep a rapist in jail because of tourism. You keep a rapist in jail as a deterrent, punishment, for justice and for public safety. Not for the sake of tourism.

I've have had it with supposedly intelligent adults using tourism as their favourite reason. From politicians and civil servants to the average joe-on-the-street. Whatever is wrong with people? Geez!

We did not report the air quality index because we didn't want to scare tourist away. As if they couldn't see the visuals on print and TV. We accuse opposition politicians of having vested interest (What interest by the way? Oh what malicious intentions do they have? Tell me, please. Save us from their treachery. Oh my saviours, save us) and scaring tourists away when they expose the high-handedness of police actions. How interesting, especially the crux of the matter is of police abuse and human dignity and not freaking tourism! We have laws to protect our heritage (which by the way is rarely respected...just look at the gaudy paint they use on heritage buildings and the very efficient demolition squads demolishing old buildings in the name of development) and states like Penang want to be a World Heritage Site because they say, it is good for tourism. Hello? We need to protect our heritage because these artifacts have cultural value, because they mean something to us as a nation, as people. As people who have toiled to build this country. As a remembrance to the past achievements and failures. As stories of our forefathers.

This is just so wrong.