Malaysiakini Your Say | Jun 10, 11 10:37am

‘Why pay the total of RM6.5 million in cash? No one would deal in cold hard cash unless it is to eliminate the paper trail.’

Khir paid RM6.5m in cash to renovate mansion

Joker: Landscaper Nasir Ismail was declared bankrupt but can still run and operate a multi-million-ringgit business? What use is the bankruptcy law then?

Of important note, a witness under oath has testified that former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo paid RM6.5mil in cash for the renovation works. Where does he get such money?

Bear in mind the money was in Khir’s possession before he bought the property, so he cannot say that he used the property as a security to secure some loans.

I don’t think banks will authorise loans for renovations, especially if the renovations are done to a property which does not belong to you.

ONG: Nasir said that the payments were made in cash because he was a bankrupt and cannot administer a bank account. But he also said that for official purposes he used the bank account of his wife, along with her company – Lisa Ubersari Bali Landscape and Pottery – as a front for his landscaping business.

Two self-contradicting statements because he should be using the bank accounts of Lisa Ubersari Bali Landscape and Pottery for official financial transactions with Khir Toyo. I wonder if Lembaga Hasil Dalam Negeri (Inland Revenue Board) is monitoring this court case.

4EverMalaysian: Wow, RM6.5 million just to renovate the house, while the landscaper got paid millions of ringgit is a bankrupt? Unbelievable. Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), what have you been doing all along?

Geronimo: You don’t need a Queen’s Counsel to determine Khir Toyo’s guilt. He is another Muhammad Muhammad Taib, who was caught red-handed at an Australian airport with cash in millions.

Ben Hor: Why pay the total of RM6,500,000 in cash? No one would deal in cold hard cash unless it is to eliminate any sort of paper trail, signifying perhaps the money is tainted? What was Khir trying to hide?

Born In M’sia: Khir Toyo is rich. Yes, I, too, want to be a dentist.

Soap Opra: I thought Khir said his house is worth only RM3 million? Finally we all know who is the liar. With this kind of lie, we should not return his datukship, irrespective if he won this case or otherwise.

Pakman: This is a clear example how Umno politicians can misuse their power to earn money beyond their salaries and blatantly display their wealth to the public. Selangor has many squatters who do not even have a decent roof above them, but Khir Toyo can live like a sultan or raja.

Is this the ‘Negara Kebajikan’ as proclaimed by PM Najib Razak?

Righteous: When I was a younger man, the IRB came to me ceaselessly to enquire about the humble house I bought with our savings for the 10% down payment, and the rest from a loan from Standard Chartered.

I can never forget that experience. Here this pendatang (immigrant) from Indonesia can afford to buy a RM3.5 million house and subsequently renovated it for RM6.5 million.

Jiminy Qrikert: This is ‘ketuanan Melayu’ on display. To all our Malay brethren struggling to keep ahead of price increases and rapidly rising cost of living, have you got shares in Khir Toyo’s palace?

Or Zakaria Md Deros’ palace in Klang? Or the billions that Daim Zainuddin has? How about Abdul Taib Mahmud’s gazillions? And Muhammad son of Muhammad Taib’s?

A mere MB, and previously a humble dentist, is now the owner of a ‘palace’ who is able to spend RM6.5 million on renovations alone? I bet he got 10 percent discount as bumiputera too.

Did Najib say that Umno-BN always cared for the welfare of the rakyat? This is welfare state Umno-style.

Anonymous: From this corruption case involving an ex-MB, the public can easily recall the astrological amount of loot that high-ranking Umno/BN officials have stolen from this once very rich nation of ours for the past 50 years or longer.

The reason we are what we are today is largely caused by all these politicians who have corrupted and abused their powers, and carried out everything without transparency and accountability. It is high time this bunch of plunderers be booted out.

Docs: I’m very sure that Khir Toyo made the RM6.5 million, which he spent on renovating his house, from his years as a dentist way before he became Selangor MB. On that basis alone, our fair and impartial judiciary will find him not guilty on corruption charges.

Adcin: Khir Toyo was selected and parachuted into the MB post by then-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad. It was a controversial move at that time, but no one dared question the master. Now maybe we should ask for Mahathir’s comments about this trial and whether he admits that he made a mistake in appointing Khir.

Gerard Samuel Vijayan: This is the kind of corruption prevalent among the Umno/BN leadership in the country. If they have nothing to hide, ask all ministers from the PM onwards, MBs and CMs, state excos, MPs and state assemblymen to declare their assets in public, including those under their wives and children.

Virtually, all of them would be found to be living beyond their means given that their salaries cannot possibly sustain their extravagant and jet-set existence.

But the MACC and IRB have kept silent. No questions asked and no action taken. Why can’t the IRB conduct spot audits on these persons, who are in public service?

Sadly, Pakatan Rakyat has also not done the same or have only implemented internal disclosure to the MB or CM for reasons of confidentiality. This is wrong – the public have a right to know how and where public servants get their income from and how much they are worth.

Otherwise, corruption will continue to flourish with impunity.