'The government has money for a new mosque in Putrajaya, new Parliament and new palace but they don't have the money to give scholarships for students who scored straight As.'

New palace costs RM811mil, no open tender

Fairness for all: Why do we need a new palace when there is an existing one? If need be, they can spend RM1 or RM2 million on the old palace for renovations.

But to spend millions on a new palace despite there being an existing one when we have so many homeless people is just a waste of money. This is another white elephant project. A portion of that sum could have been spent to build a home for the homeless.

The government asks the public to cut down expenses while they go on a spending spree. This is what will make the country bankrupt in nine years, not the subsidies. This government needs to be thrown out as soon a possible. I'm sick and tired of seeing them spend our money as if it's their rightful inheritance.

Akar: The issue is not so much about the lack of open tender, but why the need for a new palace? One is already in Kuala Lumpur, another new one in Putrajaya. Are we going to have many Agongs at the same time to justify so many palaces in KL?

There was no consultation with the rakyat when the idea was conceived and implemented in utmost secrecy during Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's tenure. The rakyat got to know about this money waster only when actual construction started.

Thisia: The government has the money for a new mosque in Putrajaya, a new Parliament and a new palace but they don't have the money to give scholarships for students who have scored straight As while their parents slog on in the rubber estates.

I just don't understand what the PM has in his head while approving these multi-million/billion ringgit projects, which is of no use for the ordinary rakyat. PM, get your priorities, not your pockets, right.

Bobby Chang: Unbelievable. What's so special about the two other contracts involving flyover and road extension that required close tender? What kind of security issues are you talking about? Double construction costs?

The government is cutting subsidies and imposing GST (Goods and Services Tax) on the people, but spend and waste like nobody's business. BN must answer to the taxpayers - the failure of which it must be sacked from Parliament at the next general election.

Just me: We will never be able to understand this as long as we live. We have to cut subsidies of essential goods. We have to pay for new taxes like GST. We cannot reduce our income tax or taxes on car imports. We have to still give out APs (Approved Permits). But we have no money to offer any scholarship to our bright students.

And yet we have RM810 million to build a palace. Must be a joke, right?

1Finger: This palace was not asked for by any royal family. It is a gift from Umno to the royals - a gift using taxpayers' money. I wouldn't be surprised if the price went up again before completion. Transparency my foot.

Hibiscus: The people are struggling to make ends meet. The threat of cutting subsidies and imposing of GST to improve the government coffers are making things worse. Yet we see taxpayers' money being spent so lavishly on the building of yet another palace. It does not reflect well on the BN government and the rulers that they are sensitive to the peoples' suffering.

In fact, is it a display of disregard of the peoples' suffering. The picture of such an extravagant palace does not instill a spirit of unity between the rulers and the people, especially in times like this.

Gunner: Someone reliable told me that had this project been open-tendered, this RM811 million price tag could had been halved to RM406 million. This is because in any negotiated contract, price is normally jacked up in order to accommodate kickbacks. There are so many parties involved and therefore everyone must have a piece of the cake.

If you still remember the Auditor General's Report that revealed prices of government procurements under negotiated contracts had been highly inflated by 1,000 percent. Auditors would be able to detect unusual pricing if the items are commonly found in the market but I doubt if they (auditors) know the price of the very special works undertaken in palace constructions.

Yuvan: By the time all the cosmetic works are done and the new palace is made ready for occupation, the bill could very well exceed a billion ringgit. We should not be surprised at all.

The royalty live in utter lavishness whereas the common man suffers in misery with the government threatening to cut off subsidies. The government should feel totally ashamed. It treats the people like brainless creatures and expects the people to keep supporting it. All these things can only happen in countries like Zimbabwe - and Malaysia.

Anonymous: My monthly medicine and blood tests shot up from RM30 to RM80. Blood tests are now RM5 to RM65 in UMMC (Universiti Malaya Medical Centre). Why? This is not including the cost of transport to and fro. It's getting expensive to even stay alive for a little longer in 1Malaysia.

Malaysian: Buckingham Palace was built in 1703 and became the one and only official residence of the British monarch since 1837. I am okay if money is used to extend the original Istana Negara on Bukit Petaling. But after Bukit Melawati, and now another one in Jalan Duta?

Were the building of these numerous royal residences part of the accounting that led some ministers to think that Malaysia will go into bankruptcy by 2019? Why is the government increasing our taxes when our tax money is being used not to help the nation, but to build more and more of these unnecessary white elephants?

In the words of ‘Shrek' while looking at Lord Farquaad's huge castle, "Do you think he's maybe compensating for something?"

Dr M gives thumbs up to sports betting

Lim Chong Leong: People like to gamble. It is in their nature. But people like Dr Mahathir Mohamad through Vincent Tan will take advantage and gain from it. They use nice words such as regulating the industry, but actually they are preying on the human weakness of the others.

Dood: I think the federal government should also legalise prostitution, drugs and guns. That way it can regulate the industry, currently run as it is by underground syndicates. With or without a licence, there is a lot of prostitution, drug-trafficking, and gun-running going on in this country. Without licensing, there is no way to regulate them.

Razman Yahaya: Tun Mahathir, soal halal dan haram telah ditentukan oleh Allah. Eloklah jangan beri pendapat berkenaan perkara agama. Orang politik semuanya sama, BN atau Pakatan Rakyat. Nanti susah nak jawab di akhirat. Akhirat itu benar, dan seksa kubur itu pun benar.

Sentinel If his son Mirzan can sit on the board of directors in beer brewery San Miguel Corp in the Philippines, sports betting should be okay for this hypocrite.

Hann Wei Toh: Sooner of later, the Malaysian government has to legalise more ways of gambling. It is aware that money is flowing to the two newly-opened casinos in Singapore.

I know this, because I notice the new currency outflow rules and checks done at the Malaysia checkpoints where busloads of Malaysians suddenly started to enter Singapore immediately after the opening of Resort World Sentosa in Sentosa.

Apparently, it cannot stop citizens from spending tons of money there. To rescue the country, I suppose it has little choice left. And it needs to act fast.

As for why Vincent Tan was chosen, I guess it is because Sports Toto outlets are already everywhere in the country, so the reduction of currency outflow can happen almost immediately.

I am neither pro-BN nor Pakatan Rakyat. I voted for both and helped Perak Pakatan win in the last general elections. I guess occasionally people need to think rationally.

Opposing anything that BN does, even if there is an acceptable reason behind the decision, does not do any good to the country, and can only make Malaysia fall faster than Zimbabwe, a negative example that people like to quote these days.

KSN: Mahathir must take a few minutes off his busy schedule propagating racism and visit one of the legalised outlets of Magnum, Toto, etc. He will notice that nearly 50 percent of the clients are Muslim Malays and many of them do not look wealthy - just trying to supplement their meagre income to take care of their families, compulsive gamblers aside.

What about that, dear Tun Mahathir? But then you will never know the plight of the poor - the Malay poor - because you spent 22 years using and abusing public funds under the pretext of uplifting their lives but actually using those funds to make your cronies richer and poor Malays and others poorer.

Please stop your charade as no one is buying it. If you read the comments about you in this forum and elsewhere, you will know how the public feels about you and the damage, irreparable as they are, that you have inflicted on the country. Have you no sense of remorse and shame?

Anon: Read Barry Wain's book ‘Malaysian Maverick’. It was Mahathir who gave the sports betting licence to Vincent Tan before he retired, and even the cabinet did not know about it! Until Vincent Tan said in 2004 that he was starting his sports betting company only did it surface. Of course, Dr M will give his thumbs up to sports betting. He gave the licence to Vincent Tan.

Beetle: When it comes to Mahathir's cronies, everything is halal. This senile old man claimed that Malaysia is an Islamic country and yet there he is supporting and encouraging gambling. You can never regularise gambling because it's against Islam. If Mahathir is so adamant in supporting sports betting, is he not contradicting Islam?

Mikey: If the government is sincere in addressing the issue, then it should control gambling via a body like in Hong Kong. All profits generated there goes to funding roads, infrastructure, and used for the country. Don't give it to Vincent Tan, and without open bidding at that.