Outrageous for Rais to split hairs on caretaker gov't

YOURSAY 'Abuse of public funds is abuse of public funds no matter how you look at it or how you spin it.'

Rais: Okay to use gov't machinery for campaigns

Fairnsquare: It is sad to see a senior politician and a lawyer by profession using technicalities to justify a morally improper action of using government machinery for election purposes.

My respect for caretaker Information, Communication and Culture Minister Rais Yatim has taken a plunge. This explanation alone will lose more votes for BN. I wouldn't vote for BN or anyone with such arrogance and insincerity.

Ferdtan: Rais Yatim, are you for real? Are you a lawyer? Where did you study your law?

How can the government machinery be used for campaigning purposes? It must be Umno's law that allows it.

No wonder the Election Commission, when was asked to come out with a written guidelines for the Negeri Sembilan caretaker government, refused to do so.

The reasoning is obvious - they allow the ambiguity of the law without clear written instructions and rules so that BN can interpret the way they want to. Just as doctorate law degree holder Rais did.

Quigonbond: It's sad for someone who used to practise law and wrote at length about abuse of executive power to now split hairs on using government machinery for campaigning. In case he has missed the point, Parliament has been dissolved and BN is now a caretaker government.

No one is saying BN suddenly doesn't have executive powers, only that such executive powers are limited to day-to-day running of the government and not create obligations for the successor government.

And it certainly never includes using government machinery for political campaign. Being a caretaker government, it should no longer take advantage of the blurred lines where it carried out political campaigning in the guise of official function.

And his defence of the 10-minute offer is simply absurd. Don't forget it's not live either, and is subject to editing.

Hmmmmmmmm: Nobody is saying that they can't use government vehicles for government work. We are saying that government vehicles should not be used for BN (or any other political) related purposes.

On what basis can Information Department vehicles be used for political campaigning purposes? These vehicles belong to the taxpayers, not BN. Opposition supporters are also taxpayers.

The way this BN politician speaks, it's as if the government television and radio stations belong to BN. Who is he to dictate that Pakatan can only be given 10 minutes of airtime?

I get really annoyed when I hear BN propaganda disguised as government messages on the radio every half an hour. A real abuse of taxpayers facilities for a political party's benefit.

Jkthum: Abuse of public funds is abuse of public funds, no matter how you look at it or how you spin it.

Tehachapi: The demeanour of this minister smacks of arrogance and power abuse. He ought to know his cabinet position is created to serve the interests of all Malaysians, not Umno-BN's interests alone.

It is the taxpayers' money that is used to support the work of the Information Department. Malaysia is in the process of electing the next government and people want to hear what are the strategies and plans that these competing parties have.

By not allowing equal access to these public media, it means that Information Ministry is stifling the spread of critical information for voters to make their choices.

It is the height of hypocrisy for Umno-BN veterans like Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Rafidah Aziz and others to exhort the people to vote wisely when they have no access to information.

It is a contempt of the people to only provide 10 minutes to Pakatan to explain their election manifesto. This sort of demeanour is disgusting and unacceptable.

Tholu: Bravo Rais, Umno accepts, practices and preaches to its supporters that corruption and abuse of power is a noble and virtuous culture in Malaysian society. But no thanks Rais; these are not the kind of values and ethos I am going to pass on to my children.

Absalom: If you can completely monopolise of the national media and shut out the other contenders, run a dirty campaign including printing opposition posters discrediting them, disrupt opposition ceramahs and beat people up, if you can have dead people and foreigners in the electorate, if you can even bribe the people to vote for you, if you can do all that, and be okay with it, what is a little use of government machinery going to make a difference?

XXXXXX: State-owned facilities are the property of the rakyat and are not to be used for purposes which might be considered political or private. This is irrespective of whether a government is a caretaker government or not.

Giudice: I am so glad Rais made the statement. It will only serve to nudge the undecided to vote out BN. No one in their right mind would vote for someone who not only abuses power but attempts to justify it.

Similarly, no one would want to vote for idiots to lead the country. This is what I have been saying all along. There are a whole bunch of dumb leaders in BN and the same mentality is reflected in its supporters.

Telestai!: Oh please, Rais Yatim. Just because you cannot differentiate between your knee and your elbow, don't for one moment think we are stupid.

Clearly, as caretaker, you are merely running the show on behalf of the yet-to-be-elected government. Your temporary government should be working from behind the scene and not using the taxpayers' property for party campaigning.

If there is an award for the silliest statement since the dissolution of the Parliament, this one takes the cake. - Malaysiakini