Ever wondered how Barisan Nasional (BN) won the poster war in the recent polls? Here's one answer - the ruling coalition got the posters for 'free'. To be exact, no one in BN has yet to pay for them. The bill itself was an astounding sum.

Three months after BN's thumping victory in the March 21 polls, dozens of companies are claiming that they have not been paid for supplying BN an estimated RM100 million worth of election paraphernalia.

These were not just posters. Among the campaign materials sent to BN poll offices nationwide were plastic banners, T-shirts, caps, mineral water, button badges, lapel pins, key chains, lighters and pens - all adorned with the coalition's distinctive dacing logo.

Malaysiakini understands that letters have been sent to BN leader, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, urging him to settle the debt.

However, Abdullah denied that his coalition was involved in the multi-million-ringgit purchase of campaign merchandise. He advised the complainants to instead resolve the matter with those who had directly made the purchase orders.

It is learned that the troubled suppliers have also met leaders of other BN component parties to complain about their woes - MCA chief Ong Ka Ting and Gerakan vice-president and Penang Chief Minister Dr Koh Tsu Khoon.

The suppliers, who spoke to malaysiakini on condition of anonymity, said the orders for the campaign materials were placed through a company called Elegant Advisory, whose shoe-box office is in Setapak, about 5km north of Kuala Lumpur.

Elegant Advisory had claimed that it received a lucrative 'government contract' to supply the ruling coalition posters and other campaign paraphernalia for the 2004 elections.