WWW15 row: Transport minister speaks up

Transport Minister Kong Cho Har appeared to have landed a subtle jab on his MCA colleague Liow Tiong Lai, by implying that someone had lied over the latter's vanity number plate. 

According to Sin Chew Daily, Kong, whose portfolio includes the Road Transport Department, said 

"What is important is that everyone speaks the truth. If everyone does so, there would be no such problems," he was quoted as saying by the daily.

Kong said everyone had the right to bid for a car number plate of their choice but all the bidding procedures must be followed. 

Liow has come under public scrutiny after it was found that he had won a RM24,000 bid for the WWW15 number plate. 

At first, Liow was unable to explain who paid for the number. Fueling the controversy further was a news reports on the RTD denying that Liow can escape paying. 

But eventually, Liow claimed that the RTD had issued him the number plate for free. 

Meanwhile, MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek publicly defended his now infamous 'left hand to right hand' remark, claiming that he was misunderstood. 

He said that it doesn't matter whether the WWW15 number plate was paid for by the health ministry, which Liow leads, because the funds will end up in a government consolidated account. 

He said that there was nothing wrong with his remarks and claims that his detractors don't understand the issue. 

Chua, a former health minister until January 2008, said all cabinet ministers are given free a number plate while the head of states are allocated seven. 

Any more than the state quota would require proper bids.