P.036 by-election - has the BN committed "corrupt practices"?

The Barisan Nasional has suddenly bounced into actions in Kuala Terengganu. Suddenly, it found that it has the required funds and resources to develop KT and to make the lives of the KT folks better than ever. Among others, the followings are the various actions taken or promised by the Barisan Nasional to the Kuala Terengganu folks lately:

• the Star reported that the Terengganu state government will be giving 25000 laptops for free to all year 5 students by April next year. After that, a factory will be set up to manufacture 10000 units of laptops per month which are to be distributed to students in year 1, 2, 3 and 4. The first batch of 25000 laptops will cost the state government RM30 million.

• a sum of RM2.7 million was distributed to 9000 needy Chinese folks on January 5th, a day before nomination day. This apparently is an annual event but in any other year, this handout would be made a week before or after the Chinese New Year.*

• RM3.3 million was pledged by the Menteri Besar for the construction of a hall for the Chinese community in Bukit Kecil, with the ground breaking ceremony slated for Jan 13.*

• the state government further approved RM2.8 million for the refurbishing of the sole Chinese school in Kuala Terengganu, SJK (C) Chung Hwa Wei Sin. The school's brass band will receive another RM200,000.*

• RM110,000 was allocated to 40 Chinese religious organisations.*

• the state MCA has obtained federal allocation worth RM205,000 for two temples while Education Minister Hishamuddin Hussien on Jan 5 announced a RM2,926,000 allocation for 10 Chinese schools in the state.*

* source: Malaysiakini report

• Dr Azly Rahman in his blog has in the meanwhile cited a report in the New Straits Times that the state government had also promised to replace the zinc roofs houses of poor families and grant 4ha of land to anyone who wants to plant padi.

• On 10th January, Malaysiakini reported that the Federal Government had awarded RM15.8 million worth of small infrastructural projects to 583 Terengganu based class-F contractors through a computerised ‘bidding’ system. (Extract From : ARTiculates)

( Further ARTiculates wrote : ) The above are my moral and ethical issues. The next is a legal issue.

In arriving to any decision, the Court would of course have to consider all explanations offered by the BN. It must be noted that the BN government has said that:

• the laptop project was to ease the burden of school children from carrying heavy school bags.

• the award to the Class F contractors were already planned under the economics stimulus announced much earlier (last year) and the finances are now available for the same to be done.

• the cash gifts to the Chinese people are part of an annual event and was also planned during the lifetime of the previous MP.

• the BN government is committed to helping the poor and the programmes are aimed at helping the poor.

It is then up to our Courts to decide whether such explanation would be acceptable if a case is brought before the Courts..  ARTiculates