Khairul Firdaus bin Akbar Khan (born 26 July 1983)[1] is a Malaysian politician who has served as the Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture in the Unity Government administration under Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Minister Tiong King Sing since December 2022 and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Batu Sapi since November 2022. He is a direct member of the Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) coalition. His proposal of turning Langkawi into a preferred tourism destination for Muslims has been controversial.[2]
Controversies and issues
Turning Langkawi into a preferred tourism destination for Muslims
On 24 June 2024, Khairul Firdaus made a speech in Parliament, proposing and claiming that his ministry would possibly turn and position Langkawi as a preferred tourism destination for Muslims, the adherents of the Islam religion who make up of the religious majority in the state of Kedah and nation of Malaysia. The following day, Member of the Kedah State Executive Council (EXCO) in charge of Tourism, Culture and Entrepreneurship Mohd Salleh Saidin praised the proposal and stressing that it is in line with the plan of the '2025 Kedah Tourism Year'. It was however criticised by Zaid Ibrahim and controversial in the non-Muslim community. On 29 June 2024, Minister Tiong King Sing apologised to Malaysians for the statement by Khairul Firdaus, highlighting that no tourism destinations should be made to satisfy the needs of the followers of a single religion and that inclusivity was the key of cultural tourism strategy that must be upheld.
Election results
| Year | Constituency | Candidate | Votes | Pct | Opponent(s) | Votes | Pct | Ballots cast | Majority | Turnout | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | P185 Batu Sapi | Khairul Firdaus Akhbar Khan (BERSATU) | 12,152 | 44.95% | Liau Fui Fui (DAP) | 7,331 | 27.11% | 27,608 | 4,821 | 61.57% | ||
| Alias Sani (WARISAN) | 7,218 | 26.70% | ||||||||||
| Boni Yusuf Abdullah @ Narseso P Juanico (PEJUANG) | 176 | 0.65% | ||||||||||
| Othman Ahmad (IND) | 160 | 0.59% | ||||||||||
Honours
Sabah :
Companion of the Order of Kinabalu (ASDK) (2022)[3]
References
- ^ "YB Tuan Khairul Firdaus Bin Akbar Khan". www.parlimen.gov.my.
- ^ "KHAIRUL FIRDAUS AKBAR KHAN". Sinar Harian. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
- ^ "Senarai Penerima Darjah Kebesaran, Bintang dan Pingat Sabah Tahun 2022" (PDF). www.sabah.gov.my.
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