DAP adviser says both Najib Razak and Liow Tiong Lai must answer for the “silly and unpatriotic” idea of auctioning the "Patriot" licence plates.
KUALA LUMPUR: Condemning the idea of auctioning number plates with the word “Patriot” as “silly and unpatriotic”, DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang has said Prime Minister Najib Razak should scrap the idea immediately while Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai must explain why patriotism was put on the “auction block”.
In a statement today, the DAP Parliamentary leader said, “Najib should show leadership and just scrap the silly and unpatriotic idea of auctioning ‘Patriot’ number plates and not allow the national shame and dishonour to prolong any further.”
He also had a bone to pick with Liow and said the minister “must explain the rationale for this silly and unpatriotic idea in putting up ‘patriotism’ on the auction block,” and bear full responsibility for awarding auction rights of the “Patriot” licence plate to Yayasan Patriot Negara Malaysia (YPNM).
“There should be no need to drag out this ‘Patriot’ plates farce and fiasco, which display not only a shocking absence of good and proper judgment by our ministers but even a perverted understanding of the meaning of ‘patriotism’ where everything has a price.”
Lim, who is also MP for Gelang Patah said even Umno State Assemblyman, Tengku Putra Haron Aminurrashid (Kempas–Johor) had condemned the idea, likening it more to prostitution and saying that the highest bidder would not be a patriot but a pimp.
Tengku Putra also asked if background checks had been carried out on the bidders, and if there was any effort to ascertain if those bidding were actually “true patriots”. He also asked how it would be perceived if the winning bidder was not a Malaysian citizen, saying if this happened, then the organisers would have “sold our country”.
“Why is Najib allowing the farce and fiasco of putting ‘Patriotism’ on the auction block by granting YPNM the rights to auction ‘Patriot’ number plates to prolong which can only bring shame and dishonour to Malaysia and the genuine patriots in the country?”
Bestfbkl: Initially i thought this organization were made up of Patriots from the Armed Forces or Police now i found out its an NGO, Why so much priviledge given to a NGO set up in 2013? Does it have a good track record? Again it all seems to be a bit dodgy. I know the cause of the NGO is good to promote perpaduan and loyalty to the country but many other proven NGO's out there. This responsibility should lie with a Government ministry not an NGO
Bestfbkl: Initially i thought this organization were made up of Patriots from the Armed Forces or Police now i found out its an NGO, Why so much priviledge given to a NGO set up in 2013? Does it have a good track record? Again it all seems to be a bit dodgy. I know the cause of the NGO is good to promote perpaduan and loyalty to the country but many other proven NGO's out there. This responsibility should lie with a Government ministry not an NGO
