Fahmi: Cabinet didn't discuss Health Ministry's Raya bash
PUTRAJAYA: The recent Hari Raya celebration organised by the Health Ministry — which has faced criticism from several parties, including the Hartal Doktor Kontrak group — was not discussed during today's cabinet meeting.
Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the matter was not raised at all during the meeting.
"It was not discussed in the cabinet meeting, and I have no information on it. You would need to refer to the Health Minister," he told reporters at a press conference.
He was responding to questions on whether the open house event, which featured performances by celebrated Malaysian artistes Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza and Datuk Jamal Abdillah, was addressed during the cabinet meeting in light of the backlash from healthcare workers.
The event, held at the Health Ministry's headquarters in Putrajaya, was considered by some to be inappropriate, given the ongoing challenges faced by the public healthcare system.
Responding to queries regarding performers at government functions, Fahmi said that in many instances, artistes either waived their fees or accepted only a token payment.
"In our experience at the Communications Ministry last year, when we co-hosted a Raya celebration with the Housing and Local Government Ministry, the artistes who performed told us they would not be charging anything. That was my personal experience," he said.
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