An MP has hit out at the response of the investment, trade and industry ministry (Miti) to claims of plagiarism over the design of the Malaysian pavilion at the Osaka World Expo in Japan.
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng of DAP said the ministry had failed to make an outright denial to accusations of plagiarism raised in the Dewan Rakyat.
Lim said he was disappointed in the manner the ministry responded. “The ministry never denied the claim, but only said there were ongoing talks (with the firm). The failure to deny the allegations outright is bound to raise questions about the veracity of the claims,” he said.
He added: “If the design was not plagiarised, what is so difficult about stating so?”
Two days ago, Miti minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz said his ministry was in discussions with a company that claims the ministry failed to recognise or compensate it after using its designs for the Osaka World Expo in Japan.
“To ensure this issue is resolved amicably between both parties, the ministry is currently engaging in active discussions with the company,” he said in a written parliamentary reply.
Earlier this month, a direct marketing company issued the ministry a letter of demand seeking compensation for using the firm’s designs without payment or credit
The firm’s founder Fey Ilyas said his company was engaged by the ministry in 2022 to develop the design of the Malaysian pavilion and was repeatedly assured that it would be formally appointed for the project. However, it was told in January 2023 that the appointment would not proceed and that the ministry wanted to open a tender.
