'No wonder they are so jealous of Anwar Ibrahim, who is able to get so much publicity from the Americans without using our, or his own, money. I thought Apco was supposed to do the job for Najib...'
PM splurges RM50k in attempt for US coverage
Tan Kian Khim: Prime Minister Najib Razak is free to use his personal money to pay anyone he likes to write sycophantic articles about himself. However, I very much doubt if that was his personal money that he used to pay Laurus/QGA, who for all intents and purposes appear to be subcontractors of the RM77 million-per-annum-taxpayer-funded Apco International.
Umno-BN leaders have become too accustomed to treating public funds as their own personal cookie jar. Case in point: the shamelessly sycophantic and ridiculously-expensive dual-page advertisement in the New York Times to polish Malaysia's own Imelda Marcos-wannabe Rosmah Mansor, which cost Malaysian taxpayers between RM1 million and 1.5 million.
One suspects the many Malaysians hit by the 5-in-1 price-hike-subsidy-cuts would take a very dim view of Najib's generous disbursement of public funds to promote himself and his wife.
Permerhati: The leaders of first world countries like the US, UK and France are actually extremely happy with the corrupt leaders of third world countries because they are able to earn easy money from them.
These corrupt leaders channel their ill-gotten billions into their banks or invest in their real estate and other sectors. Like Najib, they also spend lavishly on their expensive goods and services, and buy their obsolete military hardware and other silly items such as submarines at exorbitant prices.
All these activities keep their overpaid citizens employed, and happy and this increases their chances of being elected at the polls. The biggest losers are the people of third world countries, whose money is being wasted and stolen.
The third world people have to realise that the only way to a better future for them and their children is to elect clean and able leaders, whatever their ethnicity, as the Americans have done.
Kgen: What a shame, having to pay shady consultants to try to get an opinion piece published. But do it with your own money, not with public money!
Sarawakian: No wonder they are so jealous of Anwar Ibrahim, who is able to get so much publicity from the Americans without using our, or his own, money. I thought Apco was supposed to do the job for Najib as they were paid millions for it. Najib should stop treating our money like his own.
BS: As always, hiking prices of essential items but splurging rakyat's hard-earned money just to maintain his image.
Christine Yong: To both Mr and Mrs PM, their strategy is to use money and not brain to win and run the country. Once again, they use our hard-earned tax money to splurge on this, and yet cut subsidies to burden the hardcore poor. I wonder if they sleep well at night.
Anonymous: If the Americans want to know about Malaysia, the information is just a 'mouse click' away. They can click Malaysiakini , Malaysia Today or even Utusan Online (if they can read Bahasa Malaysia). They can even google 'Najib' or 'Rosmah'.
Why spent RM50,000 to get media coverage? Can't you use the money as scholarships for our poor students?
Agent99: The more BN tried to do this and waste more taxpayers money, it actually does not help the image of BN. It will only get worse. Eliminate corruption starting with ministers and ex-ministers, improve the judiciary, police force, etc. Tell MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) to stop investigation and start prosecuting. Those will bring back trust in BN.
KayKay: What's this? They accused Anwar of paying CNN for an interview. Now, who's doing the paying? What is Najib peddling anyway? He has little credibility in the wake of the Altantuya Shaariibuu killing and the submarine deal.
Anyway, are people in the US voting for him? He should have given out the RM100,000 to the Penan girls who were raped by Abdul Taib Mahmud's timbermen and terrorised by the police into withdrawing their rape reports, and virtually admit that they were prostitutes.
Amaso: If you pay money to someone to write about yourself and Malaysia, surely the article will have high praises for you and the country but the crux of the matter is - would readers, in this case the American public believe what the article say?
Playfair: I hope many can remember the full-page photograph on the front page of the Star showing Najib standing next to a pile of books, reading the ‘Blue Ocean Strategy'. Accompanying it was a feature story on how prodigious a reader he is.
Well, it was a con job because since then we have never read of any statement using or applying any bit of the strategy from him. But I very clearly read him in the MSM (mainstream media) saying that Tuan Guru Nik Aziz Nik Mat insulted the Selangor sultan regarding ceramah politics in masjids. That is the level of pettiness he is comfortable with and it is not surprising that he wants to project the image of being an intellectual.
I believe paying taxpayers money for this opinion editorial article is to further reinforce the con job. Did Abdul Razak Baginda write it for him? Makes one wonder.
Anonymous2: Why get the opinion from people living 9,400 miles away when the opinion of the rakyat right in front of your nose is being ignored? Another case of putting the cart before the horse.
Wira:
If you do the right things, you don't need to pay others to write good stuffs about you. The worst thing that happened was you used public money to glorify yourself lest the Americans found you unacceptable in their country.Lonestar: The PM only wants the best for 1Malaysia. People will know 1Malaysia better and want to invest more after reading his op-ed piece. After all, so much has been spent on the unsinkable subs and even then Bolehland received little notice, what is another RM50,000 to RM100,000 more?
Expect and appreciate when the good PM spurges more in the near future in preparation for the 13th election. You all know what he expects in return. But do we give him what he wants?
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