Some spectators claim they were paid to attend 1 Malaysia launch

By Clara Chooi, The Malaysian Insider

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched his highly-publicised “1 Malaysia” concept before a crowd of at least 30,000 at the Perak Stadium here last night.

But according to some spectators, they had been bused in after collecting RM30 coupons.

Since Perak is still considered as shaky ground for the Barisan Nasional government, the large crowd would have been a confidence booster for Najib and his delegation, who included Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, Perak Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir and the state executive councillors.

The cheers and shouts of support that greeted the administrators appeared to suggest that Najib’s messages of reform and unity over the past few months had also successfully reached Perak folk.

It also seemed to show that the Prime Minister, despite being implicated as responsible for BN’s power grab in Perak, had finally won them over.

The Malaysian Insider understands that earlier in the evening, some members of the public were registering themselves at certain locations throughout the city and were given coupons to collect at least RM30 in exchange for attending the function.

Some government-funded associations, for example, were asked to congregate at a particular location in town where they were given their money and subsequently ferried to the stadium by the busloads.

One member of the public, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The Malaysian Insider that all he needed to do was to register his name at the location (his was in Sungai Siput), get his coupon and redeem it at a counter outside the stadium for RM30.

“It’s very simple. I got my RM30,” he said happily, adding that it was a fair deal as many people had to travel for some distance to attend the function.

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