by Wong Choon Mei
Malaysian
'boy tycoon' Jho Low's recent denial that First Lady Rosmah Mansor was not his "mak
angkat" or fairy
godmother or sugar-mummy has stirred fresh discontent amongst the Malaysian
public, who are upset at their showy and extravagant lifestyle.
Struggling against high prices and a fast-souring economy,
the Malaysian masses have been less than pleased at the way Prime Minister
Najib Razak and his wife have cavorted in the playgrounds of the super-rich and
famous, from Monte Carlo to Dubai and New York.
"Najib came from a rich
family and he doesn't know the people's struggle. That is why lavishness is
part of his life," Keadilandaily reported PKR MP for Indera Mahkota Azan Ismail
as saying.
I
introduce a lot of investors, that's why I always meet the PM
Azan wants the Auditor General to probe the first
couple's spending sprees which have been frequently reported in the press. But
despite a slew of complaints made to the police and the Malaysian Anti
Corruption Commission, the authorities have chosen to turn a blind eye. Even
when a RM24.4 million gargantuan diamond ring that Rosmah purportedly ordered
from New York was backed up by screenshots of the importation details in the
Customs Department's database.
It did not help either when news was recently splashed all
over the New York media that Jho may have bought a USD31million mega-luxury
penthouse for Rosmah's use at the Time Warner Centre. According to the New York
Post, the 29-year old Jho paid more than USD6,400 per square foot for the
sky-high unit measuring 4,825 square feet in size.
And perhaps aware of the public's unhappiness over such
in-your-face lavishness, Jho, who went to school with Rosmah's son from her
first marriage, was quick to tell the Chinese press in a recent interview that
she was just "one of my good friiends" and not his sugar-mummy or
fairy godmother.
"I knew the children of
the Prime Minister first, before I knew the prime minister. I introduce a lot
of investors to Malaysia, that’s why I always meet with the prime minister,” Merdeka
Review reported
Jho as saying.
The Penangite was involved in setting up the RM10 billion
Terengganu Investment Authority, which was later revamped into the RM15 billion
1Malaysia Development Berhad as well UBG, a former banking arm controlled by
corruption-tainted Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud. Opposition Leader Anwr
Ibrahim has descibed 1MDB which is involved in the controversial redevelopment
of the military airport in Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur, as Najib's political
"slush fund".
Same
extravagance at Putrajaya
And over in Putrajaya, the administrative capital, the
wastage and extravagance has continued despite all-out efforts by Najib to show
that he is a man of the people. At a recent cycle-for-charity event in Penang,
Najib took pains to tell of how he used to ride to his favorite 'nasi lemak'
stall in Tanglin for breakfast.
But according to PKR's Azan, if he truly emphathised with the
people he would realize how the exponential jump in the prices of breakfast
'nasi lemak' were hurting the ordinary workers, who have not seen any pay
increment in years. Far less does it explain why Najib has decided to pour
hundreds of millions into refurbishing and renovating his still-new official
residence - Sri Perdana.
"RM200 million were spent to build the residence and why
in the end, it is still rented from Putrajaya Holdings is a mystery.
Maintenance for electricity and water should not be more than 10% of the actual
cost of the building. But this is is RM10 million a year, an unreasonable
figure," said Azan.
According to Azan, the cost of maintaining both Najib's and
his deputy's official residences came up to RM50 million a year. A rare written
reply from the Prime Minister's office in June showed that as much as RM48.8
million was spent on Sri Perdana, and this included rental fees, repair,
electricity and water bills. The rental for both the residences was stated at
RM33 million, while the maintenance was RM3.6 million.
More shockingly, the electricity bill of the Prime Minister
and his deputy was RM10 million, while the water bill hit RM1.9 million for the
same year. By comparison, Najib's predecessor Abdullah Badawi only spent around
RM4.15 million on Sri Perdana in 2008, while RM2.74 million was spent on Seri
Satria, the DPM's residence.
Pouring
hundreds of millions into rented properties
And to crown the farcical charges, both residences are
owned by Putrajaya Holdings Sdn Bhd. In other words, the Malaysian government
is pouring hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money into properties that do not
belong to it.
PAS MP for Kota Raja, Dr Mariah Mahmud, had raised the issue
in Parliament but until now, Najib has failed to provide any answers.
"After we did the press conference, none of the relevant
parties got back to us to explain why the cost is so high as if the issue is
being swept inder the carpet. That is the reality of the administration when on
the other hand, Najib is telling the people to cut on spending," said
Mariah.
She had also questioned why the government needed to rent
from Putrajaya Holdings.
"As far as we know, Putrajaya is rented, meaning the
government has a monthly commitment because the properties there are not the
government's assets. If a long-term cost analysis is done, I think the
government is making a financial loss," said Mariah.
Source : MC
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