BN leaders help themselves to free laptops in 1Malaysia program

Ng Suee Lin- cronyism and favoritism

A Selangor state assembly backbencher has accused BN grassroots leaders of abusing the 1Malaysia Computer programme by eating into the quota set aside for secondary school students and the needy.

Sekinchan assemblyperson Ng Suee Lim  said he has received numerous complaints of favouritism and cronyism in the approval of the free laptops under the programme, launched earlier this year under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

Waving a list of names of people who have allegedly received the free laptops, Ng claimed that many on the list include division leaders and of the various BN component parties including Umno, MCA and Gerakan.

"All these names do not fulfil the set criteria," he said when debating the Selangor state budget 2011.

Ng pointed out that free laptop recipients under the programme need to fulfill four criteria which include household income must be under RM3,000, the family does not have a computer, the family must have children in Forms One to Five, and each family is entitled to only one laptop.

"After going through the list, it turns out that the main condition is that as far as possible it must go to Umno, MCA, Gerakan and BN members.

"I am shocked with the way in which such contributions are distributed, which does not reflect transparency, instead using the programme solely to fulfil the agenda and political interests of Umno and BN," he said.

Dubious approval of land

Ng also accused the previous BN-led state administration of abusing its position in the approval of four acres of land in Taman Sri Muda in Kota Kemuning for the Umno Kota Raja division.

He said the Klang district land committee, which was chaired by the Klang district officer at the time and made up of 10 BN state assemblypersons, had decided on May 25, 2006 to give four acres in the area to the Shah Alam city council and another three acres to the Umno Kota Raja division.

But after the state government consultative council met on Jan 31, 2007, it was decided that the Umno Kota Raja division would instead get four acres at a nominal land premium of RM1,000, while the Shah Alam city council would only get three acres, Ng claimed.

"Why is it that Umno Kota Raja was given land and given special treatment with a nominal premium of RM1,000? This case clearly exposes to us how state land was shamelessly given to political parties, especially Umno," he said.

- Malaysiakini