MACC, where are you?
By
Chua Jui Meng
MALACCA Chief Minister (CM) Mohd Ali Rustam’s
special secretary M.S.Mahadevan told The
Star that “many of the caterers and other
businesses provided their services for free” at the CM’s son’s wedding.
Isn’t that corruption? As chief minister,
Ali has no business accepting favours from businesses.
Why don’t those businesses also
offer free services to others, the layman?
So, how is Ali going to respond to
the “business donors” when they ask for contracts?
In the first place, it is unethical
for anyone holding high public office to accept “free” favours. Even hampers
have to be declared in corporate organisations that observe strict ethics.
I now wish to refer to two newspaper
reports on the mega wedding, so dubbed because a record 130,000 people attended
the reception:
The
Star: Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali
Rustam’s special secretary MS Mahadevan said: “… 500 people had volunteered
while many of the caterers and other businesses provided their services for
free.”
Malay
Mail: On whether he had sponsors, he (Ali)
said companies had advertised their products in the wedding souvenir book.
“As advertisers, they have to pay
the advertisement cost by giving away products, such as 50,000 cans of Kacip
Fatimah drinks … citing Mamee Sdn Bhd and Orang Kampung Drinks Sdn Bhd as among
the companies that advertised.”
There appears to be
some interesting points raised in the statements issued by Mahadevan and Ali
with regards to organising the RM600,000 wedding reception.
The RM600,000 bill,
as claimed by both, is also generally being disputed by many Malaysians because
that would work out to less than RM5 per pax for 130,000 diners.
Would there be
enough food? Do you hear complaints of food shortage at the eight-hour wedding
reception?
Whether the bill is
RM600,000, RM1.3 million or RM13 million is another matter.
Ali’s blatant
acceptance of favours for his son’s wedding is most unethical, akin to
admitting receiving bribes.
Unless Ali now
wants Mahadevan to take the rap and admit that his statement, issued on behalf
of the CM’s office, was erroneous or misquoted.
This is the same
man who was punished by his party, Umno, for using money politics to win
political support.
So where are you MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission)?
So where are you MACC (Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission)?
Here are two malaysiakini reports on the yet to be
certified Malaysia Book Of Records’ attendance for wedding reception:
My son's wedding wasn't extravagant,
says CM
12:39PM Oct 3, 2012
|
Malacca Chief Minister Mohd Ali
Rustam has rubbished claims by various parties as to the over-the-top nature of
his son’s eight-hour wedding banquet last Sunday, which reportedly attracted
some 130,000 guests.
Instead, Ali (left) said that the function was not
extravagant, but was, in fact, “cheap to organise”.
He told English daily The Star that, “the wedding just looked grand because of the number of people who attended”.
Ali’s special secretary MS Mahadevan, in the meantime, denied to The Star that anyone was “forced” to attend the do, not even civil servants in the state.
Many people attended the banquet, he said, as they had wanted to congratulate the chief minister’s eldest son, Mohd Ridhwan, 26, and his bride Nur Azieha Mohd Ali, also 26.
“This is the first wedding ceremony for the Chief Minister's family and every Malaccan wanted to take part.
“Even estate workers wearing slippers stood in line to shake hands with the bride and bridegroom,” Mahadevan had said, further stating that 500 people had volunteered while many of the caterers and other businesses provided their services for free.
'Feast costs RM600,000'
Instead, Ali (left) said that the function was not
extravagant, but was, in fact, “cheap to organise”.He told English daily The Star that, “the wedding just looked grand because of the number of people who attended”.
Ali’s special secretary MS Mahadevan, in the meantime, denied to The Star that anyone was “forced” to attend the do, not even civil servants in the state.
Many people attended the banquet, he said, as they had wanted to congratulate the chief minister’s eldest son, Mohd Ridhwan, 26, and his bride Nur Azieha Mohd Ali, also 26.
“This is the first wedding ceremony for the Chief Minister's family and every Malaccan wanted to take part.
“Even estate workers wearing slippers stood in line to shake hands with the bride and bridegroom,” Mahadevan had said, further stating that 500 people had volunteered while many of the caterers and other businesses provided their services for free.
'Feast costs RM600,000'
The event took place at Dewan Tun
Ali in Bukit Katil and the host of people it attracted included the Sultan of
Selangor, several cabinet ministers and a number of other VIPs while songstress
Siti Nurhaliza performed at the event.
The sheer volume of those attending the feast made it into the Malaysia Book of Records, which certified it as the biggest crowd ever recorded at a wedding, outdoing even Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's Aidilfitri open house (left) this year, which reportedly attracted 100,000 people.
This prompted several opposition lawmakers to urge the chief minister to reveal the cost of the ‘mega kenduri’.
Meanwhile, in The Malay Mail, Ali claimed the feast cost RM600,000 and not RM1.3million as ventured by Pakatan Rakyat leaders, nor even RM13 million as speculated by DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang in a Twitter posting.
Ali was quoted as saying Lim had probably, “never had a chance to attend any Malay wedding with kampung-style cooking.
"He might have attended a dinner serving shark's fin soup at RM100 per head, that's why he could not understand".
The chief minister explained to The Malay Mail that he had hired 30 chefs who could cook nasi beriani campur for up to 2,000 guests each at RM10 per head.
As each serving was capable of feeding three people, he
said, the wedding feast could cater up to 180,000 guests if need be.
He even joked about the Book of Records certification, stating, “If I get married, maybe more people will attend my wedding”.
On whether he had sponsors, he said companies had advertised their products in the wedding souvenir book.
"As advertisers, they have to pay the advertisement cost by giving away products, such as 50,000 cans of Kacip Fatimah drinks," he informed The Malay Mail, citing Mamee Sdn Bhd and Orang Kampung Drinks Sdn Bhd as among the companies that advertised.
The sheer volume of those attending the feast made it into the Malaysia Book of Records, which certified it as the biggest crowd ever recorded at a wedding, outdoing even Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's Aidilfitri open house (left) this year, which reportedly attracted 100,000 people.
This prompted several opposition lawmakers to urge the chief minister to reveal the cost of the ‘mega kenduri’.
Meanwhile, in The Malay Mail, Ali claimed the feast cost RM600,000 and not RM1.3million as ventured by Pakatan Rakyat leaders, nor even RM13 million as speculated by DAP national adviser Lim Kit Siang in a Twitter posting.
Ali was quoted as saying Lim had probably, “never had a chance to attend any Malay wedding with kampung-style cooking.
"He might have attended a dinner serving shark's fin soup at RM100 per head, that's why he could not understand".
The chief minister explained to The Malay Mail that he had hired 30 chefs who could cook nasi beriani campur for up to 2,000 guests each at RM10 per head.
As each serving was capable of feeding three people, he
said, the wedding feast could cater up to 180,000 guests if need be.He even joked about the Book of Records certification, stating, “If I get married, maybe more people will attend my wedding”.
On whether he had sponsors, he said companies had advertised their products in the wedding souvenir book.
"As advertisers, they have to pay the advertisement cost by giving away products, such as 50,000 cans of Kacip Fatimah drinks," he informed The Malay Mail, citing Mamee Sdn Bhd and Orang Kampung Drinks Sdn Bhd as among the companies that advertised.
Malacca state agencies 'sponsored'
mega kenduri
|
A leaked document from the Malacca
State Development Corporation (PKNM) allegedly shows that state agencies had
sponsored the wedding ceremony of Malacca chief minister Mohd Ali Rustam's
eldest son last Sunday.
Debating
the budget in Parliament today, Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) (right)
said the document showed that a meeting hosted by PKNM was especially called to
discuss the "logistics of the ceremony" on Sept 30.
"The CM's special officer today admitted that the event was sponsored to the tune of RM10 per guest and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must look into this (as) this is a personal event.
"The meeting minutes mention the government departments involved and state that no bills should be claimed from the chief minister, everything is free.
According to the copy of the minutes made available to the media later, PKNM chief executive officer Yusof Jantan had instructed that the meeting was to "discuss the preparations in terms of outdoor decoration, cleanliness and logistics of the CM's son's wedding on Sept 30".
"(Yusof) later stressed that all preparation should be conducted at the discretion of the departments, and nothing should be billed to the chief minister or the state government," the minutes read.
Debating
the budget in Parliament today, Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena) (right)
said the document showed that a meeting hosted by PKNM was especially called to
discuss the "logistics of the ceremony" on Sept 30."The CM's special officer today admitted that the event was sponsored to the tune of RM10 per guest and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) must look into this (as) this is a personal event.
"The meeting minutes mention the government departments involved and state that no bills should be claimed from the chief minister, everything is free.
According to the copy of the minutes made available to the media later, PKNM chief executive officer Yusof Jantan had instructed that the meeting was to "discuss the preparations in terms of outdoor decoration, cleanliness and logistics of the CM's son's wedding on Sept 30".
"(Yusof) later stressed that all preparation should be conducted at the discretion of the departments, and nothing should be billed to the chief minister or the state government," the minutes read.
