Lucky Draws For MyKad Applicants Silly! Sudden Realization By Home Minister Radzi

The government Tuesday announced the withdrawal of all lucky draws including for the grand prize of a Perodua Myvi car for MyKad applicants.

Describing the move to reward the public for applying for MyKads as "a silly thing to do", Home Minister Datuk Seri Radzi Sheikh Ahmad said all the prizes including the car would be donated to orphanages.

"Have to reward them to change to MyKad, have to hold lucky draws, only then the public will come. That's rubbish," he told reporters after his ministry's monthly assembly at the Immigration Department headquarters here. "It is a silly thing to do to offer something to Malaysians for them to come and change their identity cards to MyKads," Radzi said.

He said Malaysians must be responsible and sincere in getting a very important document like the identity card.

Asked whether the government was not afraid to be labelled a liar for calling off the lucky draws, Radzi said: "We do not lie. We just ask the public to forget about it."

On Aug 24, 2005, the then Home Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid announced the lucky draws offering a host of prizes worth RM300,000 and a grand prize of a RM50,000 Perodua Myvi for 16 million MyKad holders and applicants before Nov 30, 2005. Azmi had said the government proposed to hold the lucky draws to spur two million Malaysians who had yet to have the MyKad to apply and not wait until the deadline of Dec 31, 2005.

Two lucky draws were held at the end of September and October, 2005, offering 80 prizes worth RM100,000 each month. The prizes included Suzuki 150cc scooters worth RM6,500 each, 29-inch televisions, digital cameras, personal computers and mobile phones. However, the final lucky draw due by the end of November, 2005, offering 80 prizes worth RM100,000 and the grand prize did not take place until today.

The lucky draws were conducted digitally with the prizes sent to the winners according to their address on their MyKad. The lucky draws did not cost the government as the prizes were sponsored by a consortium of companies that supplied MyKad hardware and software.

Radzi was silent when asked whether the Cabinet was aware of his decision.

He said to date, 500,000 Malaysians had yet to apply for the MyKad and they were mainly those at drug rehabilitation centres and mental hospitals and senior citizens. (Bernama)

****** After the few silly statements Radzi made in connection with "The Last Communist" banning debacle, he had basically lied low and avoided 'foot-in-mouth' type remarks. However one statement that he made today must be highlighted - "We (the government) do not lie. We just ask the public to forget about it!" How wonderful! He has given a totally new dimension to the words barefaced lying.

Another point to note is that Radzi was silent when asked whether the Cabinet was aware of his decision. So whether this 'withdrawal of lucky prizes order' is a unilateral move which may be rescinded a couple of days later or not remains to be seen. Also I think it's rather undiplomatic of Radzi to have described the whole scheme as silly as it tends to put the former Home Minister Azmi Khalid in a bad light. By the way I wonder which orphanage is Radzi going to donate the RM50,000 Perodua Myvi to?
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