“CREATING the right impression” means causing people to form a positive, favourable opinion of a person or an organisation.
This becomes especially pertinent when the organisation is tasked with painting the country in a welcoming, positive light.
Thus, the recent furore over KL City Gallery entrusting the task of ushering and guiding visitors through its exhibits to foreigners poses some very unwelcome questions.
Editor’s Note: The Kuala Lumpur City Gallery is a popular tourist visitor centre and exhibition space located in the iconic Sultan Abdul Samad Building next to Dataran Merdeka.
It showcases the history and future of the city through scale models, archival photographs and miniature wooden replicas.
Among netizens who are unhappy that foreign workers seemed to be taking over many other jobs other than 3D (dirty, dangerous and difficult) vacancies was Feefa Othman (@feera_firina).
Grumbling on Threads, this non-plussed citizen asked if there was a change in policy that has seen more foreign workers taking up cashier positions at nasi kandar restaurants, Happy Marts and 7-Elevens (the latter two are 24-hour convenience stores).
Now, it appears tourist guide jobs at KL City Gallery are not immune to this foreign invasion which this aggrieved poster claimed causes plenty of difficulties arising from language barriers.
Lame excuse
Tagging Federal Territories Minister Hannah Yeoh, the poster insinuated that these foreigners were depriving young Malaysians of employment opportunities.
That same sentiment was evident in various posts across social media. The two main issues that bugged locals were:
- Firstly, why hire foreigners for a space that is promoting local heritage and tourism? What sort of impression does this create for visitors to Malaysia?
- Secondly, with headlines of high unemployment numbers, surely there are willing and able Malaysians to fill these jobs. Many locals expressed disbelief that there are no willing takers for such positions among Malaysian workers.
Nevertheless, there was a half-hearted attempt by KL City Gallery at damage control. An official statement clarified that the foreign workers were NOT employed as tour guides with the confusion having arisen from them wearing the identification tag/sash.
The statement on Threads also claimed that only locals were hired as tour guides. There was no explanation as to what the duties of the foreign workers were or why they were wearing the relevant tour guide sash/ID.
Needless to say, this was pounced upon by distinctly unimpressed Malaysians who poured scorn on KL City Gallery’s weak attempt at damage limitation.
In a scathing observation, this visitor demanded to know why staff that could not converse fluently in English nor Bahasa Malaysia were stationed in the gallery.
Arguing that she was not complaining about foreign workers per se but felt that they were NOT suited for this role at such a high profile and historic tourist attraction. It was also pointed out that she had highlighted to KL City Gallery’s management on various occasions but to no avail.
KL City Gallery’s official clarification was dismissed as the proverbial cattle manure by some disgusted commenters. One even shared clips from another source purportedly showing these foreigners hard at work as tour guides at the said venue.
Few points to note.
Malaysians really need to do away with the culture of sweeping things under the carpet. Trying to appease an angry public with a vaguely worded statement will only inflame the matter, especially in the age of social media.
Video clips and photos taken at the venue have emerged to debunk KL City Gallery’s hastily put-together excuse. Transparency and accountability are much needed ingredients here.
At a time when citizens are grappling with high unemployment issues, surely the powers-that-be can help ensure that locals benefit from frontline jobs associated with the tourism industry.
Although KL City Gallery is a private tourist and heritage information centre rather than a direct, official operation of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), it occupies a historic building managed in cooperation with local authorities and sits within the historic Dataran Merdeka zone.
This should allow the Yeoh (as a cabinet minister in the Prime Minister’s Department with the Federal Territories portfolio) or even the Arts, Culture and Tourism Ministry to make appropriate recommendations.
Otherwise, the entire Visit Malaysia Year 2026 (VMY 2026) objective to bring economic benefits to locals would be moot. – Sept 2, 2026
Main image credit Petit Go
