The costly prizes, including a car, given in the lucky draw at Thursday's media night organised by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) have elicited mixed responses.

One strong criticism came from PKR’s communications director Fahmi Fadzil, who told Malaysiakini that it is a disgrace and that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should look into this.

"To see it being done, so openly and brazenly is disgraceful," Fahmi said.

Journalists, as members of the fourth estate, he said, should be part of the check-and-balance when it comes to governance.

People might perceive the handing out of such gifts as an attempt to sway sentiments among members of the media, he explained.

"For the PMO, technically the highest office in the land, it's more than improper to give out prizes such as cars to journalists," Fahmi said.

Prizes handed out in the lucky draw at the media night event ranged from kitchen appliances to electronic goods and motor vehicles.

The grand prize, a Peugeot sedan car worth more than RM100,000, was won by a journalist. He was presented the prize by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, who was in attendance with his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

While it is not known who funded the lucky draw prizes, the emcees announced that some of the prizes were sponsored by the Naza Group of Companies.

‘It has a corrupting effect’

On the other hand, former National Union of Journalists (NUJ) president Mohd Hata Wahari does not see this as a big deal.

"The PMO organises a media night event every year. It is a normal thing, it's not a bribe," Hata said when contacted by Malaysiakini .

Furthermore, he said, Naza usually sponsors the prizes and that every year, the cost of the prizes usually range between RM50,000 and RM100,000.

"If they offered money directly to the journalists, then it's a bribe. Otherwise, it's not," Hata said.

Veteran journalist Gobind Rudra offered a slightly different response.

The PMO, said Gobind, who founded Institute of Journalists Malaysia (IOJ), should not have held the lucky draw in the first place, because it puts journalists in a very difficult situation.

While there is a code of journalistic ethics that states journalists should not accept gifts worth more than a certain amount, it might be impolite to refuse a gift in the presence of the prime minister, he explained.

Asked if this could be perceived as corruption, he said that calling it an actual act of corruption is stretching the truth a bit too much.

"It has a corrupting effect, for sure. But to call it an act of corruption? It is not that, even though some critics might stretch it that far," Gobind said.

Transparency International Malaysia president Akhbar Satar declined to comment when contacted by Malaysiakini yesterday.