RM1,000 for a rubber band?

That’s how money is spent by a government that fears giving free education, says PAS.

SEREMBAN: Who would be so spendthrift and foolish enough to pay RM1,000 for a rubber wrist band; RM2,500 for a hat; RM1,000 for a cloth bag; RM500 for a pen and RM480 for a necktie?

Answer: The same government that claims the country will go bankrupt if it offers free tertiary education to citizens.

Jerap MP Mohd Firdaus Jaafar, from PAS, pointed this out at a ceramah in Seremban last night. He got his figures from the 2010 National Audit Report.

According to the report, the Malaysia Tourism Promotion Board paid RM42,000 for 42 rubber wrist bands; RM45,000 for 18 1Malaysia hats; RM45,000 for 45 cloth bags; RM43,000 for 87 pens and RM48,000 for 100 neckties.

“When we asked for PTPTN to be abolished, BN leaders told the people the country would go bankrupt,” Firdaus said as he held up the Auditor-General’s report before the crowd.

“But they don’t mine spending lavishly, and these are just some of the many extraordinary expenses. I’m not creating stories; this is what is reported in the National Audit Report.”

Firdaus also warned his audience, many of whom were youths, to brace for dramatic increases in highway toll rates from the year 2015 onwards—that is, if Barisan Nasional remains in power.

“As everybody knows, there won’t be any toll increase until 2015. However from 2015 onwards, there will be a 5% rate increment every three years. This mean a total of eight increments between 2015 and 2038.

“The current toll rate from Juru (Penang) to Jalan Duta (Kuala Lumpur) is RM43.30 and from Kulai (Johor) to Sungai Besi (Kuala Lumpur) is RM43.30 as well.

“In 2038, you’ll have to pay RM62.30 for either route.

“Based on the answer given to me in parliament this week, the highway concessionaries collected RM11 billion from 27 expressways for the three years from 2008 to 2010.”

Firdaus told the crowd of about 300 people that only a change of government would bring about improvements in governance, claiming that Pakatan Rakyat policies would introduce policies to benefit the people, especially in reducing their economic hardship.

“Umno never thinks of the people’s hardship,” he said.

The ceramah crowd also heard speeches by Seremban MP John Fernandez (DAP), Bukit Kepayang state assemblymen Cha Kee Chin (DAP) and PAS central committee member Zulkefly Mohamad Omar.