What is so great about vote buying?
Lee Wee Tak
We probably should have anticipated what was more to come after the the legendary and trade mark setting sentence of “you help me, I help you” vote buying rallying call in Sibu.
Since then it is disbursement here, there any everywhere.
The total bill we tax payer has to foot, 11 weeks into the prime minister’s creation of feel good feeling during his trade secret period is RM606.68 million.
——————————————————————————————————–
The government had disbursed RM608.68 million over 11 weeks to the people through Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s and his deputy Muhyiddin Yassin’s official nationwide visits.
According to a parliamentary written reply, the “urgent allocation” approved from January to March 15 was handed out during their 14-state visit, with Perak recording the highest at RM220.38 million for 34 projects.
Jerai PAS MP Mohd Firdaus Jaafar on Tuesday had asked the Prime Minister’s Department to list to all the allocations approved for the prime minister’s official tour of the states.
Allocations for Johor ranked second, with RM201.40 million doled out for 24 projects, while the Federal Territories came in third with RM63.25 million dispensed for nine projects.
Najib’s recent marathon forays to Perak and Selangor focussed on opposition-held areas, distributing goodies and promises to boost BN’s popularity, had fuelled speculation that polls might be announced soon.
——————————————————————————————-
While RM606.68 million seems huge, it represent a minor investment to secure BN’s continue power hold and loose change to wealth generation and preservation of those who waltz in the corridor of power and its lucky associates. The added bonus is that your lenders, being the tax payers, have no recourse against your personal assets, unlike a normal businessman or housebuyer begging support from a tightly regulated financial instituion.
When one is in power, getting a commission of RM500 million from 1 transaction is possible.
———————————————————————————————–
http://www.suaram.net/?p=918
This scandal involving Malaysia’s purchase of two Scorpene submarines is of concern also to French tax payers because it involves France’s biggest defense conglomerates, the state-owned shipbuilder DCN. DCN’s subsidiary Armaris manufactures the Scorpene submarines sold to Malaysia among other countries.
It has already been brought up in the Malaysian Parliament that €114 million (RM500 million) has been paid to a Malaysia-based company called Perimekar, for “coordination and support services” for the submarines transaction. Perimekar was wholly owned by another company, KS Ombak Laut Sdn Bhd, which in turn was controlled by Najib’s aide, Razak Baginda. Baginda’s wife Mazlinda was the principal shareholder in this company. Perimekar was registered in 2001, a few months before the signing of the contracts for the sale and the company did not appear to have the financial resources to complete the contract. None of the directors and shareholders of Perimekar have any experience in the construction or maintenance of submarines
—————————————————————————————–
Closer to home, and impacting every person directly, would be toll charges. We either pay directly from our wallet/Touch and Go card or Smart Tag, or pay for it (AGAIN) when we purchase all goods and services which cost of goods would have to built in such toll charges as business expense, before adding on margin on padded cost.
From the audited accounts of Plus Berhad below, we can see that toll revenue collected by Plus is RM2,500 million a year, plus RM800 million compensation a year alone.
From the compensation of RM800 million a year, they can afford to pay RM800 million dividend a year. If they can pay out the entire compensation as dividend, I do not know what we are compensating for.
So what is RM606.68 million to BN?
The latest vote buyingflag ship costed us RM2 billion and expected to double up.
————————————————————————————————-
Distribution in BR1M previously granted to 4.2 million households that earn less than RM3, 000 a month involving an allocation of RM2.1 billion.
——————————————————————————————————
Bakun Dam cost over-run hits RM1.7b
Sime Darby is reported to have incurred an estimated cost over-run of RM1.7 billion on a Bakun Dam contract worth RM1.8 billion.
It is understood the government has agreed to reimburse Sime around RM0.7 billion, leaving the firm to absorb the remaining RM1 billion, The Star reported.
——————————————————————————
and of course the mother of all tax payers’ bill, the RM12 billion PKFTZ.
http://promptus.blogspot.com/2009/05/port-klang-free-zone-scandal-may-never.html
So while Ah Jib Kor does spread our money around, do take it, it is just a small rebate from what we have been paying for the past 50 decades.
Read more at: http://wangsamajuformalaysia.blogspot.com/2012/07/what-is-so-great-about-vote-buying.html#more
