Rafizi’s cash prize an insult to youths

The Heat Malaysia

The opposition has always cried foul of the ruling coalition dangling carrots to get the voters to vote for them. The ruling coalition in return has said that the benefits are the people’s rights returned to them.

Now, the opposition people themselves have decided to beat the ruling coalition at its game: by dangling, not quietly and not carrots, cash prizes to motivate unregistered youth voters to get to the electoral roll.

It is almost akin to leading the dog to its dinner plate by tying a bone on a string.

Malaysiakini reported recently that PKR-linked NGO Invoke is dangling a cash prize to motivate some four million unregistered youth voters to get on the electoral roll.

“The NGO said this follows its online survey which found most youth said they would register if there was a cash incentive.

“Starting today, those who register to vote stand a chance of winning a weekly prizes of up to RM1,000 cash via a competition on Invoke’s website.

“All they need to do is to upload their voter registration slip, tell Invoke why they chose to register and provide some personal details to be in the running for the cash,” reportedMalaysiakini.

And on top of that PKR’s secretary general and Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli, who has always shouted himself hoarse over money politics, is now saying he is pouring in RM300,000 of his own savings into the NGO.

All this publicised and yet no one in the opposition has come out to question Rafizi or invoke his Invoke NGO, despite their main agenda supposedly be to get rid of money politics.

RM300,000 savings for a 39 year-old who does not come from a rich family is quite a lot, considering that he is not a corporate man. Where is it from? Has it been audited? Who gave it to him? Who donated RM300,000?

Rafizi may say it is pittance as compared to RM2.6 billion that could be found in others’ accounts, but then again, dirty money is dirty money. So, is it clean money? Why is he being so generous?

Also, what is Rafizi up to, making a mockery of the youths in this country who are not registered voters? Does he think that all those who do not want to register will do it for the pittance he is offering? That they will be rushing in line to grab the cash prizes?

Even if they do register with Invoke as voters, what makes Rafizi think that they will come out to vote during elections? Would you not have to get them to be paid again for them to come out to vote? A vote would be more expensive, no?

Rafizi in trying to be smart, has outsmarted himself and opened the opposition to ridicule. Worse, he has insulted the youths of this country, by hinting that they will register as voters for money.

Rafizi better start thinking of strategies on how to answer the very questions above and clean himself, before he starts sinking in the abyss of money politics, which may just be the end of the opposition.

Until then, he has no right to criticise anyone else over money politics.