Tuesday, 7 June 2011

PM's use of public funds for wedding trip morally wrong

While not problematic procedurally, the use of public funds to pay for Prime Minister Najib Razak and his official entourage to Kazakhstan for Najib's daughter's wedding is morally wrong, Kuala Selangor MP Dzulkefly Ahmad says.

"It may no problem procedurally, if your boss (the PM) approves something no one is going to question.

"But it is morally wrong to use public funds to travel to your daughter's wedding. Najib has no class!" Dzulkefly told Malaysiakini.

NONERegardless of whatever reason Najib may concoct to justify coinciding his visit to Kazakhstan with his daughter Nooryana Najwa Najib's wedding, the PAS MP says the fact remains that the premier is misusing his station for personal reasons.

The parliamentarian clarified that it was not wrong for Najib to go to Kazakhstan for his daughter's wedding, but Najib should take leave and go there on his own time and expense, and not by spending public funds.
The MP was responding to reports that Nooryana, 22, is set to marry Daniyar Nazarbayev, the son of a top Kazakhstan official, was the main reason for the date of the PM current visit to that country.

Daniyar apparently met and fell in love with Nooryana when she was a student at Georgetown University.

Some quarters have questioned the purpose of the trip and the PM's entourage, as to whether there is any real official reason - or just a manufactured reason for Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor to visit their soon-to-be in-laws.

Dzulkefly related the tale of Muslim leader Umar Abdul Aziz who had two candles by the side of his bed.
'Not the first time Najib has abused privileges'
If he were awakened at night for affairs of the people, he would light a candle paid for with state coffers. But if he was awakened by friends or family on a visit, he would use a candle he paid for himself.

NONE"This is the highest level of transparency in administration that we should emulate, not abuses unchecked, like we see with Najib," Dzulkefly said.

This is not the first time that Najib has abused the privileges accorded to him as the prime minister, he said.

Recalling another time when the premier, Rosmah and his entourage travelled at public expense, he said this was to the United States when his daughter Nooryana graduated from Georgetown University in Washington on May 21.

Such abuses, if unchecked, would lead to other civil servants, who are supposed to serve the public, using their station for personal gains instead, Dzulkefly warned.

"If the top guy pees while running, what do you expect? District police chiefs and other officials may soon use their staff and government resources for their own ends," the PAS leader said, and expressed his fears that more public funds may be spent come the wedding proper.

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