'Kontrak kecil' untuk dapatkan undi

In Umno polls, small contracts get the votes

[...] The men making the promises are not ministers, nor are they known politicians, but "agents" of Umno leaders campaigning for the various posts in the party polls.

The brazenness of what Umno has always referred to as money politics, or vote-buying, is becoming a major concern for the party as it seeks to win back support from voters it lost in the March general election.

But even as it tries to repair its image, Umno's credibility continues to be under assault primarily due to widespread vote-buying.

A Sabah Umno MP, who declined to be named, told The Malaysian Insider of how one "agent" of a party election candidate recently toured the state's interior just before the close of nominations to drum up support.

"This man went round offering government contracts to the rural folk in return for nominating his man," he said.

He claimed the "agent" was a government officer who worked for a federal minister. The contracts being offered included deals to repair bridges and community halls.

Each contract was worth approximately RM10,000. That was how much a nomination was worth.

So far, Umno's disciplinary board has already received more than 900 complaints about money politics.

Former party president Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has been particularly vocal about vote-buying, and has predicted Umno will lose heavily in the next general elections if there are no reforms.... more.