Umno supreme council member Shahrir Samad said today that action should be taken against Elegant Advisory Sdn Bhd - the company which has embroiled the ruling Barisan Nasional in the RM100 million poll merchandise scandal.

Shahrir, who is also Backbenchers Club chairperson, said that he would bring the matter up with BN leader, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

On July 7, malaysiakini in an exclusive report disclosed that a group of suppliers which had provided posters, badges, banners, caps and mineral water for the ruling coalition's election campaign had claimed BN owes them an estimated RM100 million.

Shahrir also told malaysiakini that he had a meeting with some of the aggrieved suppliers in Parliament yesterday.

One-hour meeting

In the one-hour meeting, Shahrir said he told the suppliers that BN would not pay for the goods as the orders did not come from the ruling coalition.

"How do you get BN to pay if BN did not place the orders?" he asked, adding that the suppliers should claim their money from Elegant Advisory, the company which they dealt with regarding the supply of the poll merchandise.

Shahrir reiterated that although he too had received the election paraphernalia from Elegant Advisory during the March 21 election campaign for his Johor Baru parliamentary seat, it was on the basis that they were 'free'.

"They (Elegant Advisory) showed me the delivery order. It (the deliver order) was signed by the Johor Baru BN secretary. We received them as we were told they were free," he explained.

He said it is not unusual for candidates to receive 'donations' during elections.

In an interview with malaysiakini last week, Shahrir admitted he had received posters bearing the BN logo provided by Elegant Advisory.

Shahrir also said he was baffled as to how the suppliers had agreed to supply the materials without first asking for down payment.

"Why were they so convinced that they would be paid?" he asked.

He said the Malacca printers which provided his personal campaign posters had requested a 30 percent deposit before the goods were delivered.

According to the Registrar of Companies, the key owner of Elegant Advisory is Hasan Ayuob.

Hasan had claimed that he was backed by an 'influential' Umno politician who had been tasked to raise funds from BN-linked tycoons and companies for the polls.

The suppliers - some of them are major printing and mineral water firms - struck a deal with Elegant Advisory, which claimed to have secured a lucrative 'government contract' to supply the ruling coalition with campaign paraphernalia.

Furious suppliers

Meanwhile, a supplier who attended the meeting with Shahrir yesterday told malaysiakini that he would organise a protest in the bid to get their money back.

"How can you receive the goods and not pay for them. These are not stolen products," said the furious supplier who requested anonymity.

Asked what action they intended to take, he said the matter would be discussed with other suppliers before reaching a final decision.

On the meeting with Shahrir, he said the Johor Baru MP had denied BN's involvement with Elegant Advisory and argued it was a "con man's job".

The supplier also told malaysiakini that he was not convinced by Shahrir's claim that he had never met Hasan.

"How could he (Shahrir) had not met Hasan when he admitted Elegant Advisory had asked a photographer to take his picture for the printing of posters?" he asked.

Hasan claimed ignorance of the matter in an interview with malaysiakini last week and blamed the company's top executives instead.

Earlier today, BN secretary-general Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said the ruling coalition did not intend to take any action against any individuals who embroiled the coalition in the embarrassing scandal and advised the suppliers to lodge police reports against Elegant Advisory.