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SHAH ALAM - KL City Gallery has clarified that a foreign staff member seen wearing a sash at the Sultan Abdul Samad Building was not a tour guide, following a viral social media post that questioned the presence of foreign workers in frontline roles at the historic Kuala Lumpur landmark.
In a statement, KL City Gallery apologised for the misunderstanding, saying the staff member had never been appointed by the company to perform tour guide duties.
“KL City Gallery apologises for the misunderstanding that arose. The staff member concerned is not a tour guide and has never been appointed by the company to carry out the duties of a tour guide.
“The wearing of the sash created confusion regarding the role and identity of the appointed tour guides. For clarification, all tour guides currently serving at KL City Gallery and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building are local employees.
“We sincerely apologise for the misunderstanding caused and have taken the necessary measures to ensure that a similar incident does not happen again.
“The experience and confidence of visitors to KL City Gallery and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building will always remain our priority,” the statement said.
The clarification came after a post on Threads questioned why a foreign worker was allegedly employed as a tourist guide at the historic site.
The post subsequently went viral, with social media users raising concerns over the suitability of foreign workers for visitor-facing roles at a prominent Malaysian historical attraction.
Some users claimed that the workers shown in the viral video could not communicate effectively in Malay or English. They also claimed that the foreign workers were not sufficiently familiar with the historical information presented at the gallery.
Others argued that staff working at such locations serve as an important first point of contact for both Malaysian and international visitors and should therefore be able to provide accurate information about the country's history and heritage, emphasising the importance of hiring locals.
The viral footage also appeared to show foreign staff members wearing what looked like official attire, with one wearing a sash bearing the words “May I help you?”.
This contributed to the perception among some social media users that the individual was performing an official visitor assistance or tour guide role.
However, KL City Gallery's clarification specifically addressed the individual's alleged role as a tour guide, stating that the person had never been appointed to carry out such duties.
The statement did not provide further details about the staff member's actual position, responsibilities or the circumstances surrounding the use of the sash.
Some social media users continued to question the role of foreign staff members at the venue and argued that the clarification did not fully address concerns raised by the original viral post.