Although support for the governing Barisan Nasional and the fundamentalist Parti Islam se-Malaysia is said to be split about evenly, UMNO insiders are extremely concerned that Wan Ahmad Farin Wan Salleh, a former deputy home minister, a close Badawi ally, is a weak candidate.
The contracts described by Najib, valued at RM30,000 to RM 200,000 US$8,400-US$56,000) each, claimed to be for infrastructure works in the local township, were distributed at random by having the contractor to come to the stage to click on a computer. Upon pressing the button, a contract would be awarded, details of which would instantly appear in a big screen in the hall. Thus the contractor would walk home with his “prize” (a contract with a pre-determined price), with no questions asked on his track record or suitability for the works assigned.
Najib, who launched these innovative awards, claimed this “a world record”, saying that “In this lucky draw, everyone wins. Every one gets a contract.” He further added that if the Barisan wins in the coming Kuala Terengganu by-election, there would be more and bigger such contracts, so that the Class F contractors (confined to Malays, for small contracts) would “continue to make money and the country’s economy would continue to grow.
A Kuala Lumpur-based political activist close to UMNO disputed the account, saying the award of contracts was nothing new. The contracts, he said, are for local businessmen to build roads, schools and other infrastructure during a time of worsening economic conditions. The procedure, he said, was done for transparency. But, he added, “it’s definitely for the elections as well.” - asia sentinel
No comments:
Post a Comment