It is shocking that money meant for the poor are being channeled for the purposes of renovating the MBs' residencies and other useless projects, says a reader.



On Money for Poor used on MBs' homes, ntv7 crews

Peter: It is very shocking that money meant for the poor are being channeled for the purposes of renovating the MBs' residencies and other useless projects. These are really cases of the MBs betraying the trust of the people. They really failed in using the money to uplift the quality of life of the poor who happened to be mainly Malays.

Lately Umno Youth has been very vocal in their criticisms of Chief Minister Koh Tsu Koon for not helping the Malays in Penang. Khairy is one of these champions in the group.

Now that it is very obvious that misuse of the fund is in Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu, Perlis, Pahang and Negeri Sembilan, what has Umno Youth got to say?

If Umno Youth does not know what action to take, I have a good suggestion. Rotate the posts of MBs in those states among MCA, MIC and Gerakan. Since Umno MBs are found wanting in their job, it would be good that their task be handed over to others. We shall then monitor the performances of the new MBs. If they fail in their duty, their job will be given to the next component party.

YSM: Is the auditor-general report telling the rakyat something we have known and suspected all this while? How about Sabah and Sarawak? There is no reason why the hardcore poor and the poverty level are still high in some states if all the money allocated is truly channeled to the people.

This is but the tip of the iceberg. A lot more in the past 20 years have not been accounted for and many have gotten rich at the expense of the poor. God Almighty shall judge these robbers be they menteri besars or ministers. They must be severely punished.

MO8: The auditor-general's report on how the Money for Poor fund was used in various states is shocking, to say the least. In the first place, the authorities must realise that government money is people's money.

The funds are to be used wisely and prudently for the purposes intended. If the funds are for the poor who badly need money, then the funds must go to the poor. If the funds are siphoned off to some other areas, then it is wrong; and those who are responsible should be sacked at once.

A responsible leader must take the bull by the horns and kick out those responsible. The leaders concerned must act against offenders without any hesitation. If the leaders themselves look the other way or close one eye, the leaders themselves must be sacked from office!

It is a tragedy that the auditor-general's reports in the past have been taken lightly and offenders were not punished outright, if at all. Now, it is the prime minister's responsibility to come down hard on those offenders and sack them, immaterial of whether they hold high positions or low positions in the government.

This abuse and misuse of power has gone on for too long. Reports after reports from the auditor-general, year after year, have shown discrepancies and yet no action had been taken against the offenders. This is the best opportunity for the PM to show his firmness against abuses of power. I am sure all right-thinking people will support him to the hilt if he acts against the offenders.

Ah Chong: The BN government must stop playing racial politics. This divide-and-rule policy is going to backfire and spin the country 40 years backwards. Just by having component parties along racial lines is asking for trouble as we can see in the recent squabbles between them. Is this the BN spirit they are talking about?

The ironic thing of all this is that the truly marginalised in Malaysia are the Indian and the Orang Asli community. They have no channel nor voice as to who would take up their cause. They remain among the poorest in Malaysia. The Orang Asli will also lose their land entitlement under the amended Native Land Act, which will fully incapacitate them as they rely on their land for food and livelihood.

I mentioned in a letter to malaysiakini, National funds wasted, rural poor suffer, that the Ahmad Hafizals and Jamal Haruns of this nation remain poor because of the blood suckers in government who pocket the federal government's allocation for the poor as revealed in the auditor-general's report.

They should be sent to prison and the keys thrown away for good. Even if this spineless ACA and AG do not take any further action, God Almighty will judge for stealing from the poor and enriching themselves.


On Umno division head: Sorry for the banners

WKA: Hilmi Yahya can say he was shocked and embarrassed by the banner incident. This type of shadow play is child's play. What can we say of someone like Hilmi who sees only one colour and who has always aspire for the position of Penang CM.

When he was brought to the federal level, it was good riddance. Penang celebrated.


On Supporters to publish Dr M tabloid

Wee Kiong: Interestingly, if like Mahathir said he has been deprived of exposure, why did the Internal Security Ministry, whose minister is Pak Lah, issued them the publishing permit? Something is seriously wrong somewhere.


On Dhammananda, chief Buddhist monk for M'sia and S'pore, dies

Dhammika: The demise of the late venerable Dr K Sri Dhammananda Maha Thera has been a great loss to Malaysian Buddhists and the world. He is a noble, compassionate teacher of many Buddhist groups. He not only brought peace to the country but also understanding, tolerance and unity. He is highly respected amongst other religious faiths.

We saw Christians, Hindus and even Muslims paying their last respects to him. Politicians of Chinese-base parties also came to pay their respects. However, I am very disappointed that the PM or DPM did not show their presence as leaders of a multi-religious country. If time is the constraint, they could at least send their condolences through the media to the Buddhist population at large. Remember that respect cannot be bought, but they have to earn.