FREE VOXPOP 'Yen Yen, between a 15% commission and 72.1% overpayment, you chose the latter? If I were your boss, I would have sacked you.'

Tourism minister: Ad spending above board

vox populi small thumbnail Jimmy: I too run a company that regularly posts advertisements in the news dailies and I know that by going direct instead of going through certain ad agencies, I get to save 2.5 percent on a regular basis.

I would venture that on a budget like yours (which runs into millions) even a one percent saving would be substantial in real numbers. So please stop acting and behaving so indignant, Tourism Minister Ng Yen Yen, you cannot fool us.

Anonymous_40a7: Ng Yen Yen, let me try to ‘brain' this. Between 15 percent commission and 72.1 percent overpayment, you chose the latter?

If I were the boss of a company, I would have sacked you on the spot for such careless and stupid decision.

FellowMalaysian: Ng mentioned that there were five advertising companies in the Tourism Ministry's tender list, giving an impression that at least her ministry practices invited tender bidding.

If so, when why resort to negotiating with the bidders again? Negotiations can never be seen as a fair, just, economical and transparent way of awarding contracts, more so when involving government tenders.

As a minister, she is also shirking from her duties for refusing to answer on Pempena's failures .

With so many blunders that she has stirred up in her ministry, Ng should be asked to leave before another PKA-style (Port Klang Authority) scandal erupts.

Joker: The minister says if they go through agents, then they will be charged 15 percent commission. Are you referring to the submarine deal that your boss, Najib, handled? I recall the commission was much more than 15 percent in that instance.

Anyhow, the Auditor-General's Report states that the advertising bought via direct negotiation is more than 70 percent higher than a tender process would have gotten. Minister, just to be clear, you are supposed to negotiate for a lower price not 'negotiate' it to be higher.

And what's that about Sin Chew Daily and the Star ? You mean the bulk of the RM194 million spent is advertising in both Sin Chew and Star ?

Don't simply bring up unrelated matters to deflect a straight and simple question.

Changeagent: A 72.1 percent overpayment by the Tourism Ministry is a great outcome when we consider that the Marine Park Department had overpaid by 2,805 percent for some binoculars.

Gone are the good old days when BN politicians used to pocket only 10 percent of the total costs.

Multi Racial: The BN government will be seen as endorsing and supporting corruption as long as they continue to practice direct negotiation.

Question: Do you think the BN government will change to mandatory open tender for government projects? The answer is a flat ‘no'.

SMC77 Joker: Minister, your logic is fundamentally flawed. If a 15 percent commission is industry practice, why don't all the private companies do direct advertisement with the media organisations?

Your IQ may be miles below these professional managers and entrepreneurs.

Anonymous_403c: The intermediaries or agents charge 15 percent commission fee. You and your cronies charge 72.1 percent corruption fee. Tell me, which would I rather pay?

Rick Teo: Ng Yen Yen, you bought pamphlet racks for RM1,975 per rack. And it cost RM1.975 million for 1,000 racks.

I can also sell you the same racks for a mere RM350 and make 100 percent profit. You MCA leaders are all the same, you want to make a fast buck.

Alan Goh: This is what you get when monkeys are entrusted with bananas. Anything these monkeys touch will turn to losses and stink of crap.

The AG's Report is just an exercise of futility and this can only change when the government is changed. Otherwise, the same crap will repeat again for another five years.

Kit P: Among people in the industry, the Tourism Ministry is well known as Curi-Curi Malaysia. It's easy to see why. It's not petty corruption anymore. It's full scale plunder.

Scandal-hit FBC Media now faces bankruptcy

Disgusted: It looks like all this while London-based FactBased Communications (FBC Media) has been surviving by ripping of the Malaysian government through PM Najib Razak.

Our hard-earned tax money was used frivolously by Najib to boost his and his government's image whilst he tells the very rakyat who are indirectly paying for it to tighten our belts.

Anonymous_5fb: When a body has lost its integrity, its fall is imminent; it's a matter of time. We see this in FBC Media. Utusan Malaysia is next, and for that matter, Umno and its government. Mark my words.

This equally applies to individuals like Hosni Mubarak, Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussien and perhaps our own Najib Razak.

KLeo: I hope that FBC brings the Najib government down with it. Truth can't be kept under wraps forever.

Joker: FBC is facing bankruptcy not because it has no money but because its shady customers want the company to close down so that their activities cannot be traced via that company.

 

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