YOURSAY 'Why should government pick up the tab? It is a private matter and if the sponsors do not honour their commitment, so be it.'

Busted! Gov't paid RM1.6mil for K-Pop show

Absalom: I don't know why everybody is so shocked about this. This kind of abuse and blatant misappropriation of public funds is nothing new and not limited to the Youth and Sports Ministry.

It is a yearly ritual in Malaysia that such gross mismanagement of taxpayers' money is revealed and publicised by the Attorney-General's Report and nothing happens. Was anybody ever held accountable and sacked or penalised?

How are things going to change for the better if this audit reporting is just done without any serious intent to put a stop to such abuses?

Ultimately the people responsible for this mess are those who voted  the BN in, which has proven time and again that it is grossly inadequate, inefficient, irresponsible and utterly lacking in integrity.

If people cannot see even now that change is necessary, one wonders if they ever will.

Call Me Jibby: This is an insult to our beloved local artistes. Politician asked us to spend wisely, support local brands and buy local cars. Now they spent more than a million ringgit to "import" foreigners for less than an hour's performance.

Speechless: Government officials and MPs blatantly lying about how public funds are spent should be sacked.

These culprits have the audacity to waste taxpayers' money and then lie through their teeth about some non-existent sponsorships.

Officials who approve such spending should be made to reimburse the money from their own pockets.

Doc: Jabatan Agama Islam, any comments on the Umno-led government spending millions on promoting skimpily-dressed women?

Daniel: Every year, the auditor-general reports all these cases of abuse of public funds, which in the private sector would have been classified as corruption and usually involves millions of ringgit.

From day one of the audit reports, we have never seen anyone taken to court and convicted much less sentenced.

Not even a rap on the knuckles or a demotion. So, the Auditor-General's Department is in itself a waste of time and money.

Liujinzhong: This is the ministry that had no money to give out in connection with a Malaysian student cycling back from the United States, covering over 25,300km in about 10 months.

This is despite the fact that the deputy minister (from MCA) then agreed to be the event's patron. Shame on the ministry, then and now.

Podeh: Malaysiakini, I think you have turned into a comedy paper; there are so many humorous pieces in today's postings that it made me want to cry.

There's weapons that fall into the sea, hickory-dickory clocks, dodgy doctorate degrees from Warnborough University and now K-Pop girls flaunting their ‘aurat'.

What will you come up with next? Our IGP (inspector-general of police) abducted by aliens? One can only hope, can't we?

Wira: The BN government also told us that Korean pop star Psy was brought to Penang through private contributors. Let's wait for the truth to be known in the 2013 Auditor-General's Report.

KJ: Gov't picked up K-Pop bill after sponsors withdrew

Onyourtoes: Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, frankly, I have never felt more sick than today. You know what; all of you should be arrested, locked up and the key thrown away for good.

You have no shame in coming up with all the stupid answers. What nonsense, you made decisions and spent government money based on pledges?

Hytan: Shouldn't the K-pop group performance contract be signed by the private sponsors in the first place?

If the deal by the sponsors fell through, then the K-pop group show would not have gone on unless the  ministry had already committed itself to the contract.

Anonymous #02382443: Why should government pick up the tab? It is a private matter and if the sponsors do not honour their commitment, so be it.

Would the government step in if I refuse to honour contracts entered into by me?

Odin: Only yesterday, Ahmad Shabery Cheek was reported to have blatantly lied. He said that at the Bersih 3.0 rally, the media personnel were bashed up by demonstrators when everyone knows the police were the culprits.

Therefore, it follows that this thing about would-be sponsors for the concerts having pulled out is yet another lie.

And payments having been made for double-billing clearly shows that it all was just yet another way of stealing.

Surely bills for tens of thousands of ringgit must be double checked before being approved for payment.

Bury Lynas: Someone confirm with the sponsors whether they did pay the RM1.6 million. If so into whose account.

Hang Babeuf: Question: What happens when K-pop meets an Umno-based Oxford PPE (politics, philosophy and economics) graduate? Answer: The government, meaning the rakyat, pays.

Worried Sick: I do hope KJ (Khairy) walks the talk. I pray he will not be like another talk-only minister.

He is PM material and the rakyat hopes that he will seriously get rid of those in his ministry responsible for this fiasco.

But honestly, KJ, are you telling the truth about this matter? No foreign pop group or any group for that matter is going to come here unless all payments have been settled in full, right?

KJ, the Malaysian people are also intelligent, though not all are Oxford-educated.

Unmasked: I suggest senior citizens, heart patients and those who are in poor health do not read the Auditor-General's Report or else they will all suffer depression and heart failure.

I am beginning to experience breathing difficulties already as I pen this advice.

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