Rosmah's aide congratulates Rafizi, invokes five questions

PKR vice-president Rafizi Ramli is dodging questions on the funding received by his policy research body Invoke, according to Rizal Mansor.

In a statement today, the aide to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's wife Rosmah Mansor congratulated Rafizi on Invoke celebrating its first anniversary.

He also posed five questions to the Pandan lawmaker, including if the latter had really poured his Tabung Haji and Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB) funds into Invoke as start-up capital.

Demanding evidence for each of his queries, Rizal said Rafizi (photo) is yet to disclose any detail on the RM857,000 said to have been received by Invoke from public donations.

“Who donated this (money)? When? Where?” he asked.

Rizal also found it amusing that Rafizi paid the 80 full-time Invoke staffers an average of RM1,100 a month while championing the welfare of low-income workers and families in his political career.

“What is funny is that Rafizi always brings up the question of workers who are paid low wages and have to face high costs of living. But Rafizi himself pays low wages to Invoke's staff.

“It would be more unfortunate if they are university graduates and paid labourers' wages,” he added.

Rizal also questioned the claim that Invoke has offices around the country, saying they seem to be operating out of PKR offices.

Apart from this, he questioned the source of the RM1.06 million that the research body is said to receive from subscriptions to its services.

He pointed out that even members of Rafizi’s own party are becoming suspicious of Invoke's funding.

“There are many questions that are raised on the RM2.7 million received and spent by Invoke. These questions have all been brought up by PKR leaders and members,” he added.

Rizal claimed that he expects Rafizi to politicise this issue, instead of answering the questions he raised. -Mkini