JUNE 27 — Last time, we rejected visa waiver for Chinese visitors because of prostitution.

“Chinese nationals, in particular young girls, flocking into our country could trigger potential social problems. Many of them have come here for immoral businesses such as GRO or working at massage parlors and brothels.”

Well, that was the authorities’ reply two weeks ago.

If you really have to blame someone, let it be the immoral Chinese girls!

I asked an old bird in the tourism business whether the Chinese girls would pack every Malaysia-bound MAS, AirAsia and China Southern flight, mowing down Malaysian families in cities and towns, capturing the hearts of our lonely men as well as their bank accounts, if visa waiver were to be granted to them.

“Don’t be silly. What has it got to do with the Chinese girls?”

“I thought we have plenty of them all over town, in luxurious clubs and open air night markets?”

“Fine! I’ll bring you to a club tonight, and you will ask them yourselves how they came here?”

“No thanks! I can’t afford the bill at an expansive club and I don’t want people to recognize me at the night market. Come on, just tell me!”

“Think about it. If these girls have come here on tourist visas, they may have to wrap up their business here in two weeks. How much can they make in two weeks?”

“Then, how did they come here?”

“Of course on student visas! It’s so easy to get a student visa nowadays. We have plenty of colleges here, some offering programs tailor-made for Chinese students. All you need is to report yourself at the college, pay your fees, and do the social learning. Forget about attending the school.”

“So, are you going to tell me whatever visa it is, we’ll still see these Chinese girls here?”

“Exactly!”

In other words, with or without visa exemption, the girls will still come.”

“You’ve got it!”

“The conclusion: visa waiver or no visa waiver, it has nothing to do with the Chinese girls.”

“I think you can safely say so.”

“Then, what are the reasons for not offering visa exemption for Chinese tourists?”

“Go to large cities in China and ask the travel agencies handling Malaysian visas there. Look at the number of applicants and the cost incurred, and you will have the answer.”

This tourism chap did not give me a direct answer, and I don’t think I want to fly to China to get the answer.

Coincidentally, our former tourism minister, that Abdul Kadir who just set up a new political party lately, has also made a similar proposal.

He urged our MACC to send people to China and India to probe these organizations handling Malaysian visas to get the real picture.

Abdul Kadir said, applications of Malaysian visas for Chinese and Indian nationals were handled by organizations with close links to the Malaysian authorities. They need two to three weeks to handle the applications, and charge two to three times higher than normal administrative fees.

Goodness! This is a multi-billion dollar business which will continue to prosper so long as visa requirement is still in force!

Abdul Kadir put it very straightforward: This is sheer corruption and power abuse.

We need the investigation team to tell us whether his claim is justified.

Of course, the government has now made a new decision, and is prepared to waive the visa requirement for Chinese tour groups but not individual applicants, including independent travelers, businessmen and individuals coming here to visit their friends and relatives.

The visa business is still here to stay, albeit at a smaller scale now. The government has to somewhat compromise between its aspiration to increase the number of Chinese tourists and the benefits of vested interests.

As for the young Chinese girls, they have taken the wrong blame, at least on the visa issue.

* This is the personal opinion of the organisation and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail Online.