YOURSAY | Najib has no shame in claiming his ‘entitlement’

YOURSAY | ‘Why endorse a convict with a gift of this magnitude?’

Zafrul confirms cabinet discussion after Dr M queries RM100m housing for Najib

Jordan Tan: This world-famous convicted man, who is appealing his RM210 million fine and 12-year jail sentence, is still enjoying outrider escort, parliamentary allowances and salary, is given freedom to travel overseas, has yet to pay his overdue income taxes, and is still conducting himself as the Pekan MP!

Why was this RM100 million appreciation gift being considered as per his request? Just because Najib Abdul Razak was a former prime minister, finance minister, and 1MDB mastermind? Indeed, why endorse a convict with a gift of this magnitude?

By even considering his outrageous request merely because he was an occupier of the PM seat - and should the cabinet actually go ahead to grant such a request - would be a clear signal this country has become more than a failed state.

The convict might as well ask for a royal pardon.

KSD: I can't imagine what folks who raised the white flag and were assisted by their fellow citizens during the pandemic must be feeling now. The government had no money to help them but somehow is able to reward its “old boy”.

How many lives can RM100 million save? How many students can this uplift? How many citizens can get electricity or clean water? How many kampungs can get tarred roads? How many low-cost houses can be built? How many folks can get decent Internet services?

Gotcha: My God, despite being charged in court for corruption and being involved in so many scandals, why do we still consider privileges for such a convict? Privileges are meant for people who have served the country with honesty and integrity.

The cabinet ignores our contract doctors who are asking for a fair deal but entertains this person who has been proven guilty in court. Such privileges should be waived when one commits a crime.

Dr Raman Letchumanan: Najib quoted the law put in during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s time that ex-PMs are entitled to housing fit for their stature. The cabinet agreed for a RM10,000 allowance if they have a house, or alternatively a house gifted by the government.

Now Mahathir himself is questioning Najib's eligibility. I would think Najib as an ex-prime minister would have some common sense, logic and sense of proportion.

It is common sense that the house gifted would be of a value that would return a rent of about RM10,000 per month.

But a RM100,000,000 house, if sold at that price and put into a fixed deposit at five percent interest, would yield an interest income of about RM500,000 per month. Najib could then rent a house at RM10,000 per month and pocket the balance of RM490,000 per month.

Only a shameless person would make such an application, and an equally silly cabinet would consider such a request. Did our finance minister cum banker Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz offer such a rebuttal to the cabinet when this matter was considered?

If it is only RM10,000 per month, Zafrul could have easily defended it and said it comes under petty allocations and subsumed under the budget as government pension benefits. This is a standing fixed charge from the consolidated fund, and need not be explained, nor a supplementary budget necessary.

Something is very rotten in Putrajaya.

Imagine RM500,000 per month could have provided relief of RM100 per month for 5,000 poor families. Or to buy sanitary pads. To even think we had to raid our National Trust Fund (Kwan) to buy vaccines for the rakyat.

First, we hear of RM2.80 savings for Toyota Vellfires and now this.

Well, Keluarga Malaysia - and previously 1Malaysia - really deserves such leaders, don't we? Let's elect them over and over again.

Mano: I wonder what the majority race actually thinks of this ‘ketuanan’ mentality?

What would happen if the Penang chief minister, who is a non-Malay, gets a house after his term? Would there be an uproar or would it be as muted as it has been for Najib’s case?

Heck, we would be screaming our heads off if the non-Malay CM even dares think of such an idea.

So where are all the ‘ketuanan’ leaders to defend the poor Malays who could use the RM100 million for their upliftment?

Appum: So what is Muhyiddin Yassin going to get after being (a backdoor) PM for 18 months?

Pro-rata based on time of service or is there a probation involved for such a reward? If contribution is the criteria, how is the government going to give Muhyiddin the reward?

The above is a selection of comments posted by Malaysiakini subscribers. Only paying subscribers can post comments. In the past year, Malaysiakinians have posted over 100,000 comments. Join the Malaysiakini community and help set the news agenda. Subscribe now.

These comments are compiled to reflect the views of Malaysiakini subscribers on matters of public interest. Malaysiakini does not intend to represent these views as fact.