No apology needed, just pay back RM80mil

YOURSAY 'Mr PM, you mean to say to spruce up Umno-BN's image, you spent RM80mil? That's a lot of taxpayers' money.'

Learn from BBC and apologise, Najib urged

Multi Racial: Prime Minister Najib Razak must not just apologise but also volunteer to reimburse the government the money he has spent on FBC with his own money. This is the first step for the rakyat to forgive him in this incident.

Joe Lee: Yes, ‘Ah Jib Gor' (brother Najib) may have zero substance, but he loves the spin. And so he uses the rakyat's money and pays Western media companies so that he can look better in the eyes of the world.

He's also apparently using the recycled Tony Blair media clowns to help him come across as a great reformer in the eyes of Malaysians.

I wonder whether, when he okays the big fat cheques to pay the rich Western media tricksters, it crosses his mind that thousands of poor Malaysians, wherever they live, might benefit from all that money.

Former PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad was just as bad - he condemned Western countries, and then we found out that he had paid a Jewish lobby group millions of dollars, just to have five minutes of 'media time' with the president of the United States.

If only the truth can get to the readers of Utusan Malaysia and other Umno media. Half the Malays don't know how bad their leaders are.

Fairnessforall: This is how taxpayers' money is used and wasted just to shore up Najib's popularity.

Now they want to steal more from us by making us pay 10 percent of our wages to the mandatory health insurance scheme 1Care, or rather 1Scam.

BBC apologises for airing paid PR pieces

Alicescat: Mr Prime Minister, you mean to say to spruce up Umno-BN's image, you spent RM80 million? That's a lot of taxpayers' money. It's a shame so much money has been thrown for PR (public relation) purposes.

That money could have been used to elevate the living standards of our own poor. It could feed many a poor family for a very long time, or even help the poor with medical aid.

I am so disappointed in our federal government and its leaders that I don't have any more adjectives, save for the rude ones, to describe my disappointment.

Anonymous_4031: I salute BBC for being transparent and bold in admitting mistakes made in airing the eight pieces of current affairs programmes on Malaysia produced by FBC.

Your public apology shows that you are man enough to admit any mistake; and be prepared to go public. That is the right spirit. I have always trusted BBC for being fair, free, and bold.

Onyourtoes: As one of the largest international news organisation, was BBC not aware of London-based PR firm FBC Media Ltd and what they stood for?

Surely this firm was not there to do charity or social work. Please don't treat us like third world nincompoops.

Western media, western governments and western universities, what difference do they make anyway? All of them are hungry, and all in need of money.

Podeh: My car radio is automatically tuned to FM 88.9, BBC's World Service station in Singapore and Malaysia to get some quality news, documentaries and opinions.

I know the BBC World Service is very cash strapped, having closed quiet a number of their foreign language stations all over the world.

However, for them to get paid by our government to air their propaganda is stooping too low.

TakeMiddlepath: RM80 million for eight PR pieces. It seems like Malaysia is filthy rich. What a waste of public funds.

Meanwhile, the hospitals are running out of medicine and other life-supporting necessities. The poor are getting poorer and the cost of living is forever going upwards.

NuckinFuts: Well, next time Mahathir or some other dumb local politician tries to accuse the Western media for being lop-sided or biased, we can say that we Malaysian taxpayers are the ones responsible for bribing the media into doing so.

Armageddon: BBC's apology is accepted but inadequate because the damage has been done. Why not BBC now air programmes to counter the lies that were aired before?

Cala: All that money spent, meanwhile who is taking care of the Orang Asli?

Over the recent Chinese New Year, I talked to a relative of mine who used to participate in mountain climbing and jungle trekking at the foothills of Cameron Highlands.

In one of the expeditions, he said he met a group of Orang Asli still toiling a nomadic life, and deprived of daily necessities expected of a decent living.

My relative and his team members felt so bad about the pathetic condition of the Orang Asli that they gave away the only T-shirts they wore.

So much for the record of Umno-led BN regime in looking after the welfare of the Orang Asli.

Dood: I am waiting for the official spin from Umno-BN as well as the obligatory outrage against foreign influence, Jews, Christians, Korean interns, communists, socialists, ‘pengkhianat bangsa', Chinese, PAS, DAP, PKR and Anwar Ibrahim as an excuse. - Malaysiakini