YOURSAY | ‘Umno constituencies have no bank accounts? Never heard of instant bank transfer?’

Shahrir defends large sum stashed in Pavilion Residences

ABC123: Umno veteran Shahrir Samad, look at the comments here. In just a few hours, almost 500 people have ridiculed and lambasted you. That goes to show how stupid your statement is.

Once upon a time, you were respected. The old Shahrir would have mocked the Shahrir of today. Why are you portraying the worst attributes of Umno? Whatever last shred of dignity and respect you had is now obliterated.

Are we to believe that the election campaign was paid with foreign currency, jewellery, and luxury handbags and watches? Umno constituencies have no bank accounts? Never heard of instant bank transfer?

Shahrir, please don’t insult the intelligence of the people.

Quigonbond: We're not born yesterday, Shahrir. This is a pathetic excuse. If there is cash to be paid for elections, why aren't they sitting in Umno secretariat managed by the treasurer? Is it more likely that this is cash to buy winning MPs?

And more importantly, do Malaysians really care what the money is for? We care more about where they came from.

Cogito Ergo Sum: Shahrir has decided to end his career ignominiously by defending an indefensible situation. As pointed by so many here, he was one of the few Umno men who was well respected and highly held in the people’s view.

Cash is king has managed to buy the last man standing in the Grand Old Party. Umno has no more good men.

Frank: He and his kind from that party are still unable to learn their lesson - that Malays and the rest of Malaysians are not gullible.

What would it take for them to see with their mind-eye the reality that is staring at them? I guess it would need the new federal government to seize the one or two million of 1MDB funds which he got from that alleged chief plunderer.

And I hope the federal government will also go after what he has earned from that dirty money. (Needless to say, these things shall need to take place too for the rest of the recipients of the 1MDB funds.)

That should shut him up for good. Never again.

Sun: Shahrir, you were my classmate at the Universiti Malaya. I admired you when you took on then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his Umno in the Johor Bahru by-election (in 1988) and won.

But of late, I am surprised at the things you say. Former PM Najib Razak does not need you to defend him. He has highly paid lawyers to do that.

Why not shut your mouth and salvage what little dignity you have left?

Someonroutthere: Money has turned many decent men silly. Shahrir is a good example. And he admitted he took a million ringgit from Najib. He knows he’s in trouble if that money came from 1MDB.

It’s almost comical to see him trying to make his argument stick but then shrugging it off with not knowing if keeping such a big sum of money was normal, and he didn’t know because he has not been in that position then asking how are we going to prove it...

Shahrir, my dear man, it’s not for us to prove, it’s for Najib to show where the RM114 million in cash came from, some of which are in foreign currencies.

Hplooi: Shahrir is using the same logic as that police who went around stuffing 10,000 cash in ATM machines all over Sydney. No matter how you cut it, nobody who is normal does that. Even for financing election campaign.

In fact, using such large amount of cash in election campaign raise several troubling questions. Normally suppliers and sub-contractors will be paid by cheque and official transfer. But paying such large amount in cash?

I hope the police can trace the source of all these cash by tracing the serial numbers on these bank notes. That will put paid to question on the legality and ownership of the cash.

Rojak: In case Mahathir is still having any doubts, this really should convince him that freedom of expression is the best way.

After all, it allows people to talk and talk - until they end up confessing to corruption without even realising it.

KTLoi: Let's see if this makes any sense at all. For the recent general election expenses, Najib will put the cash in Birkin bags for the convenience of those who will drop by Pavilion.

Najib had even taken the trouble to convert into foreign currencies to pay those ‘hantu’ (phantom) voters from overseas.

As for the expensive watches and jewellery, it was meant to be lucky draw top prizes at the various finale ceramahs around the country to incentivise the rakyat to come out to vote on Wednesday.

'Shocked' Umno man: Whose house got that kind of money and jewellery?

Turvy: What an amazing confession from Cheras Umno division chief Syed Ali Alhabshee. No politician is honest. They are all on the take.

But the amounts must be within some imagined 'moral' limits (that crooks can have such limits boggles the mind!), otherwise, it will not be approved by peers.

What that limit is determined by those who at the bottom of the pecking order. RM250,000 is not worth the lives of children. How much is? RM2.6 billion is too much? So between RM250,000 and RM2.5 billion?

This will serve as an excellent case study for an ethics course. Perhaps also in religious instruction. Malaysiakini should make reproductions of the interview for distribution to the 1.5 million students in higher education in this country.

Anonymous_835ba38b: RM114 million, 274 luxury handbags, watches, gold bars and now you said you are surprised.

Najib went to Cheras in 2016 to explain the 1MDB scandal at a closed-door Umno division meeting, and you were happy after the meeting.

Indeed, you need to examine your head for supporting an allegedly criminal enterprise.

Roar For Truth: My only complaint - Mahathir didn't send MACC and PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police) to raid all the homes of Umno supreme council members, ex-MBs, heads of government-linked NGOs.

I am sure they would have found a few bags of gold and cash like their supreme leader.

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