PARLIAMENT The Communications and Multimedia Ministry has explained it had only borne the food and beverage expenses for 1MDB president and chief executive chief Arul Kanda Kandasamy's information session in Sydney.

Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Jailani Johari said Arul Kanda had gone for the 1MDB event hosted at the University of New South Wales in his “personal capacity”, and as such the matter of the government footing the bill “did not arise.”

"Arul Kanda went in his personal capacity. We did not cover any costs. The only costs incurred were for food and beverages,” Jailani told the Dewan Rakyat last night.

Pressed by Anthony Loke (DAP-Seremban) on whether the government had paid for the Arul Kanda's flight tickets, and how much the event had cost, Jailani again replied that the ministry only covered his meals.

The deputy minister also said Arul Kanda explaining facts about 1MDB was not an issue, claiming the opposition readily spread “slander and lies” about the state investment firm.

The event in Sydney is believed to have been organised by the ministry’s Special Affairs Department (Jasa).

It became news when a journalist from The Wall Street Journal was kicked out of the event.

Jailani found no issue with this either, claiming the Malaysian mainstream media were often not allowed to cover events organised by the opposition.

Jasa has previously organised various information sessions at public universities in Malaysia on 1MDB featuring Arul Kanda, as a response to growing scandal worldwide.

These events are closed-door functions, featuring Arul Kanda as the only speaker and a moderator from Jasa to facilitate the talk.

This had led some students at Universiti Malaya (UM) to hold up placards in protest when the event was held at their university on Oct 11, much to the chagrin of Jasa strategic communications director Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz.

The student group UM Association of New Youth (Umany) slammed the event as a one-sided ‘brainwashing session’.

Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) protem committee member Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman also complained of being barred from the UM event, after being told that it was open to UM students only.