Cost of GE13 easily exceeds RM500 MILLION - Rafizi

UPDATED VIDEO INSERTED KUALA LUMPUR - The costs of holding Malaysia's 13th general election is expected to exceed RM500 million, estimates MP for Pandan Rafizi Ramli, amid mounting concern about the scandal-tainted Election Commission's refusal to come clean on several deals that the Opposition has alleged were questionable and may have been corruptly entered into.

"We will only know by the middle of next year when the final supple budget for 2013 is tabled. We can only guess and it will definitely exceed RM500 million because during this sitting, in the second supplementary budget for 2012, if you take the total initial allocation plus the first supplementary budget and the second supplementary budget all of which have been spent in 2012, the cost is already RM465 million," Rafizi told a press conference on Tuesday.

"So I am sure the expenditure in first 6 months of 2013 would easily be about RM50, 60 million. So we are looking at total cost of beyond half a billion ringgit. That is my estimate but we can only tell when the supplementary budget for 2013 is tabled, expected most likely in 2014."

More lies from Wan Ahmad?

Already Rafizi's estimates contradicts the EC deputy chairman's. Wan Ahmad Wan Omar, the EC No. 2, was reported as having said earlier this month he expects the final tally would not exceed the 'ceiling' set in the budget, which was RM400 million.

“Based on our experience, the expenditure will not exceed the ceiling approved. The EC policy is, when we ask for an allocation, we do not like to do things half-way due to lack of budget. So, we will request for a big amount or budget,” Bernama had reported Wan Ahmad as saying.

Is someone making money? GE13 double the cost but only 20% rise in voter numbers

Meanwhile, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim has informed Parliament that RM400 million was spent on GE13.

According to Shahidan, the amount included overtime payments of RM5.081 million, logistics, which included vehicle rentals, ICT equipment and lease line (RM98.465 million); service and token payment for workers (RM204.1 million) and other expenses (RM92.354 million).

However, the Opposition has disputed this figure. They want detailed breakdowns and explanation, pointing out that RM400 million was already double the costs of the 12th General Election held in 2008.

"We want to know why the costs has doubled in GE13 from GE12 when there is only a 20% increase in the number of voters. Has somebody been making money at the people's expense? I think we are all entitled to know and it would be in the EC's interest to come clean on the details, rather than criticize the Opposition for doing their job, which is to make sure that there is accountability to the people," PKR vice president Chua Jui Meng told Malaysia Chronicle.

Malaysia Chronicle