An Open Invite to the PM - Come See How Fundraising Really Works

An open invite to the Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib Razak to attend the sell-out DAP Petaling Jaya Fund-Raising Dinner to discover first hand how we raise funds.

Earlier this month, Dato’ Seri Najib Razak boasted that he is "ready to declare our political funding sources, if the opposition agrees to do the same," singling out DAP.

He also said that his efforts to legislate transparency in political funding in 2009 were "shot down by DAP", but added that he is ready to make a second effort for such legislature.

The Prime Minister must be joking. The DAP has never been consulted or showed the draft on any legislation before they are tabled in Parliament, much less a political funding bill. In fact our objections to dozens of bad laws were dismissed outright by the rubber stamp legislative assembly.

Hence we are shocked to discover that the DAP is accused of being so powerful that we are able to oppose or reject the political funding bill which the Prime Minister had wanted to table.

Let us say outright, the DAP has never objected to any political funding bill and will support all bills which will promote transparency and accountability.

My colleague, Member of Parliament for Segambut, Lim Lip Eng has already extended an invite to Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director, Dato’ Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan to discover first hand how the DAP raises its operating and election funds. Unfortunately and inexplicably, the Minister did not have the courage to come see the truth for himself.

However, we hope that the Prime Minister will be true to his words – that he is “ready to declare his political funding sources”, if we agree to declare ours.

Hence, we have reserved 2 seats for you at our VVIP table for you and your wife at our fund-raising dinner tonight in Petaling Jaya for you to witness first hand, in full public view how the DAP raises its funds.

We are pleased to inform the Prime Minister that we have successfully sold a record 300 tables to raise funds in just 10 days. We will show to the Prime Minister that when 3,000 Malaysians attend our dinner, they willingly pay and contribute to attend. This is in complete contrast to Barisan Nasional dinners which are completely free, augmented by lucky draws of hundreds of lucrative prizes.

Hence, it will be a perfect opportunity for Dato’ Seri Najib Razak to show and explain how he received and spent his RM2.6 billion donation to the sell-out crowd of 3,000 Malaysians. I am certain that the crowd in Petaling Jaya look forward to greeting the Prime Minister with all the necessary decorum and provide him every opportunity to explain his case.


Tony Pua