Editor's note: An earlier version of this article had erroneously stated that Transport Ministry had paid RM808,629 to a "PR firm." This article has been updated with the necessary corrections. The error is deeply regretted.

The Transport Ministry had allocated RM808,629 for a purported public relations firm, whose scope included a producing a weekly newspaper paper column.

New Transport Minister Anthony Loke said his ministry staff informed him of the seven-month contract ending in late July, which was billed as a "ministerial communication programme...