The revelation by DAP's Deputy Chairperson Dr Tan Seng Giaw on the wives of government officials and politicians accompanying their husbands on overseas trips should open Pak Lah's eyes as to the state of affairs in his government.

This abuse is not new and thousands of officers have done it in the past. If the officer is senior enough, he will be entitled to a Business Class air ticket but what happens is that he will opt for two Economy Class tickets instead.

The reason why this is done and why is has never been brought up is because it has already been the practice for decades and no sane government officer would want to change it.

The so called 'study tours' are actually just tours with very little study. If not, how do we explain the proposed trip for some Selangor polticians to study financial management in Egypt and the Melaka government officials going to Florida, London and Dubai to study river landscaping?

Now the government is trying to encourage people to use natural gas for their vehicles and the minister in charge, Datuk Shafie Apdal has started the ball rolling and guess what? A study tour to Korea is planned!