news

Putrajaya Spent RM1.4 Million To Build An Alternative Road To Speaker's House

And the taxpaying Malaysians aren't happy about it.

Cover image via NORMAN HIU/theSun

On 21 March 2016, the Government started constructing an alternative road to the official residence of Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia in leafy Jalan Tunku in Kuala Lumpur

The project involved a 100-meter alternative road and included the construction of drainage and utilities, electronic fences, security systems and a design structure at the entrance. It was expected to have finished in 12 months by 20 March this year.

However, the progress at the site is only 72% compared to the 92% scheduled, according to Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof's written parliamentary reply.

Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia

Image via Choo Choy May/The Malay Mail Online

The Works Minister was responding to DAP's Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming who had asked how much the Government has spent on the construction of an alternative road at Pandikar’s official residence

"The total cost of building an alternative route to the official residence of the Dewan Rakyat speaker on No 3, Jalan Tunku, Kuala Lumpur is RM1.4 million," he said.

Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.

Image via Surianie Mohd Hanif/NST

The fact that the Government has used RM1.4 million of taxpayers' money to build a second road to the Speaker's house has a lot of Malaysians expressing how it's a waste of taxpayer money when the same could have been spent on the rakyat in the Kampungs

They took to the comment section of news sites, which reported on the story, to share their concern with how the Government has been misusing taxpayer money.

On Malaysiakini, while one reader posted, "Millions of taxpayers' money down the new drain that's to be built. This is the most irresponsible and lavish government that has ever been elected to office, kleptocratically! What's the purpose of an alternative road to just one official's residence? Doesn't the government know that this is not the time to be wasteful in unnecessary spending when billions of ringgit are still missing?", another added that it's a "reward for controlling Parliament from debating on issues."

"And our roads full of potholes in the Taman only get attention just before an election..." posted a reader of The Malay Mail Online under the English daily's story.

What do you think about this issue? Share your thoughts with us.

Previously, in June 2016, this UMNO MP claimed that "the salaries of MPs are not paid by the people but the government and the government's money is not the people's money"

Other trending stories on SAYS:

You may be interested in: