It is a sign of the demise of our political discourse that a RM24,000 number plate becomes a topic for discussion whilst much more important issues are ignored.

It is apparent that the health minister was allocated this plate. All ministers are allocated a number plate and an Approved Permit (AP) each.

This is common knowledge. What this means is that no monies were actually paid for the plate by the minister, ministry or anyone else. So why the drama?

To a businessman like myself, I have no issue even if the minister himself paid the amount. I find this figure reasonable for a limited edition number, and surely someone like Liow Tiong Lai would have been able to save such an amount in his professional career.

What I do have an issue is the failure of the government to explain the tender process as well as the allocations given to ministers, exco members and the like.

I am also disappointed that opposition figures have jumped on the number plate issue whereas they take no time to reply to queries on the tender processes in Kedah.

As a Malaysian, this matters far more to me.