“Kita pergi bukan main-main atau buat sight-seeing. Kita buat lawatan sambil belajar (We are going not for fun or to sight-see. We are going on a study tour).”

- President of a local council when asked about a trip undertaken on taxpayers’ money.

COMMENT | It was a time when the BN-Umno government could do no wrong. Money was spent on holidays and junkets without having to be accountable.

If there was any wrongdoing, they were often covered up and kept away from prying eyes. Hence, it remained a secret until Mohd Khir Toyo’s government was ousted in the 2008 general election.

Documents that provided evidence of the previous menteri besar's extravagance and excesses emerged.

Khir, his family, and other state officials, among others, spent almost RM1.6 million on two overseas trips, including a Paris and Orlando Disneyland tour.