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Rakyat to 'subsidise' new RM800 mil Parliament
Published:  Jun 10, 2010 7:35 AM
Updated: Jun 10, 2010 5:03 AM

your say 'And they were saying we will be bankrupt in 2019? Tell it to the poor. Tell them that a new Parliament is needed so that the 200-over MPs can feel comfortable and continue to have nonsensical debates that is unconstructive to the country.'

New Parliament in Putrajaya?

Akar: Yet another money-wasting grandiose project designed to enrich BN cronies. There are no compelling reasons to build a new Parliament House. It is utter rubbish to claim it will cost RM150 million to repair the roof of the current Parliament House.

Of course, Minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz's claim of RM800 million for new Parliament House also grossly understates the final costs as it will soon balloon to RM2 or RM3 billion just like we have seen with so many BN crony projects.

Times are bad with the country running of petro-revenue soon. The government should be practical and prudent. For God's sake, please repair the current Parliament and keep using this historic building as long as possible.

Free: Telling rakyat that if we don't cut out subsidies, the country will be bankrupt by 2019. But the rakyat does not see the government reducing their expenditure. Why build anew when we can repair? Why waste the rakyat's hard-earned money?

Malaysian: The government wants to cut subsidies and increase taxes through GST (Goods and Services Tax). Now they want to waste our money in a new parliament building. All for someone to make some money. Let's stop this now.

Sarawakian: Do we really need another Parliament House at a time like this? Another non-revenue generating white elephant project? It looks like the BN is trying to hasten our country into bankruptcy earlier than the nine years foretold by Idris Jala. Just watch the Umno cronies lining up to "negotiate" for the tender.

Fido Dido: Already the country is financially weak, so what is the rational of moving such massive and costly building? What heritage is the cabinet talking about? Get the corrupt ministers to pay for the move. Be prudent and don't spend the rakyat's money in this kiasu fashion.

Eugene: And they were saying we will be bankrupt in 2019? Tell it to the poor. Tell them that a new Parliament building is needed so that the 200 over MPs can feel comfortable and continue to have nonsensical debates that is unconstructive to the country.

Lonestar: Can the cabinet stop thinking about building a new Parliament House? Just repair the present one. Even if a new one is built, the present one has to be repaired and maintained. As far as heritage value is concerned, the present one would be more valuable if it continues to be used. When did the British last build a new Parliament House?

Badrul Omar: The Palace of Westminster (Britain's Parliament House) was built many hundred years ago. It has survived until today despite many incidents, including a great fire and bombing attempt. It's a symbol of British pride.

Why on earth do we need a new Parliament House that's not even 50 years old. Why can't we just repair and maintain it like how the British upkeep their heritage?

Somebody surely will be profiting big time on the new construction at the expense of the rakyat. What do we get at the end? A glorified building that's being enjoyed by only several hundred people representing the 27 million rakyat.

Pakatan: I think we have ministers without analytical thinking. They only think of how to spend and how to make money. How did they come out with RM150 million price tag to fix the roof and wiring? Did they call for open tender? Or only appoint their next of kin as contractor who hardly knows anything about the work? We should be proud of what we have.

The current Parliament is symbol of democracy and every Malaysian regardless of age knows about the building. Moving Parliament is equal to changing our parents when they get older. With this current economic situation, why not think of how to minimise spending?

Anak Watan: Bagus, bagus - ini lah caranya cari wang . The hard-earned money of the rakyat kena bolot lagi . I was driving past the currently-being built new Istana Negara at Jalan Duta last week and I thought to myself, ‘Some fellas who did not get that project must be lobbying hard for replacement of heritage buildings like Parliament House.'

I'd hate to be right. What's next? New international airport? New Dataran Merdeka? New Klang Valley MRT (mass railway transit). Like this, there's no need to wait until 2019. Next year or before the 13 th general elections, kita sudah bankrap .

Malaysia must be amongst the rare nations in the world to have the audacity to relocate their legislative symbols. Neither the US, with its Capitol Hill, nor the British, with their Westminster, seriously considered the stupid notion of shifting the symbols of their existence as a state.

Even our neighbour Singapore, which has more reserves than us never considered such an idea. It's like shifting your ancestral house left by your forefathers by building a new ancestral house just because the old one is leaking due to bad maintenance.

This BN government has totally lost whatever sense of respect it had for the rule of law. We have MPs as lawmakers who do not respect the law (nor do they even understand the law). It's like anarchy has descended on us. My dear fellow Malaysians, please ponder deeply on our future and our children's future.

Quigonbond: I strongly oppose that Parliament be moved to Putrajaya. It's more than a heritage building. It's our history. Why is there a need to build a new Parliament? Are we going to double the number of our MPs? For which conglomerate's benefit?

Malaysians should rally against such a move with more passion than when they rally against demolition of Stadium Merdeka.

Habib RAK: Contrast this to the growing gigantic government debt, it's madness.

 


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