YOURSAY 'You mean to say Liow ranks higher than the Johor sultan? Even the sultan has to bid for the number plate.'

Liow: I got my number plate free of charge

Kosongcafe: This is another example of Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai trying to wriggle out of a lie.

Special car plate numbers used to be reserved for VVIPs under whatever arrangements. But since it is now done through open bidding, there is no way JPJ (Road Transport Department) can back track on this practice.

Even the Johor sultan had to tender and at a record sum.

Now it is not a question of money, but the lies to cover up something which could have been straightforward. Getting the car plate number for free does not exonerate Liow from being a liar.

The problem with BN is that any improvement on transparency and accountability is likely to encounter pressure from certain lobby groups for special treatment.

Thus a straightforward deal looks clouded with secret wheeling and dealing. I guess it all started with the Health Ministry official given the task of registering an official car for the minister.

He was empowered to tender within certain limit. But since it was made public and amid public outcry over the huge sum, Liow tried to pull himself out the issue ... and with disastrous result.

ABBN: This is really comical. I thought the minister was going to say his mum or his late grandmum paid for him.

I think MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek must have a slip of his tongue - it is not from right hand to left hand, it should be from the Treasury's right pocket to his left pocket.

Since the scandalous issue exposed, can anybody counts how many lies were created by these leaders trying to answer a simple question?

Tholu: The Umno-BN government has always been charged of protecting its leaders, ministers and cronies from accusations of corruption, including abuse of power as well as criminal activities.

The MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission) and PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) are manipulated for this purpose.

This latest episode of the number plate bidding is a classic example of such protection accorded to a cabinet minister. One day he is unable to give a satisfactory explanation to queries on who is paying for the bid, and the next day he confidently says it is free.

The lapse of time in coming up with a terse explanation and a very contradictory account of the issue clearly reveals a conspiracy of his political masters to protect him.

Anonymous #92005027: They are not comedians. They think the rakyat are as stupid as they. To qualify for the tender, 50 percent refundable deposit is required. Who paid for this 50 percent deposit?

The MCA president has come to rescue by saying the money went from left hand to right hand. But now the JPP said that the number was given free.

Indeed, three lies are not enough, we need some input from the MCA Youth chief and the party treasurer to make up the perfect con team.

Anonymous #19098644: Now they are robbing the people and the government by accepting free gifts, instead of rightfully paying for them at an open auction.

This political animal and his equally disgusting party and the robber regime they lead has absolutely no sense of morality.

Anonymous #46317055: I wonder how many favours Liow had to call and how much arm-twisting he had to do to get JPJ to give him his ‘free' car number plate.

Up2U: Is it a coincidence that the transport minister is also from MCA?

MACC should move in and check this corrupt practice at JPJ to check how many of the successful bids for special numbers do not have to pay.

If the minister is allowed to choose the special numbers without paying, then the numbers should have been taken off the tender list such as PKN 1, PKN 2 and PKN 3 recently.

Being Human: This minister is a real insult to the intelligence of all the Chinese community in Malaysia.

The Johor sultan has to pay more than half a million ringgit for his special car number and this minister gets it for free. How does he make the sultan look?

Being a minister, he doesn't even have the guts to say it at the press conference that he got the number for free. He has to tweet about it.

Louis: The transport minister must be sacked for this blunder. In the first place, when the Johor sultan bid for the number, he should give the number to HRH (His Royal Majesty) for free.

Instead he allowed his officers to charge HRH for the purchase of the number.

This is akin to seeing HRH queuing up to buy a ticket for a football match, while Liow just walk into the stadium without the need to queue. Would you allow that?

Not Confused: Mr Minister, just keep digging that huge hole that you have worked so tirelessly on. With each statement you make, the hole gets deeper and more slippery to get out of.

You are a joke and help to further lighten the hilarious antics of the government. The whole bunch of clowns calling themselves ministers in the government continue to demonstrate how clueless, arrogant and unprofessional they all are.

Oh, and by the way, I will be applying for a ‘special' number plate for my new car tomorrow, and will expect it to be made available free of charge or I will want to know why.

Compass: English teachers in the world must now use this example to explain the idiom, "Caught with your pants down".

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