It's campaigning for state election, not an open house - Sanusi

ALOR SETAR - Malaysia Madani Open House with the Prime Minister in six states is considered a state election campaign programme and should not be held.

Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said this is because the programme involves high costs when the federal government has previously said that all parties should exercise cost-saving measures.

He said the Aidilfitri open house should only be held in one location, which is Seri Perdana or around Putrajaya, like in previous years.

"This is an election campaign programme, not an open house. They are taking advantage of Aidilfitri. What programme is suitable for campaigning? Hosting an open house.

"We are not preventing open houses for the public, but as a government that talks about spending prudently, there is no need to host huge programmes like these. It's contradicting your own words," he said when met in a press conference after attending the Students Ramah Mesra programme with Kedah Menteri Besar at Dewan Sri Mentaloon, here, today.

He said ministries should not have been involved in hosting the programme.

"I understood that the Home Ministry is involved in hosting the programme at Kedah.

"Why order the ministry to host an open house event? The ministry doesn't even have a specific budget for open houses," he said.

Sanusi added that the public could judge the political actions of leaders in the government through these events.

"All these political actions go to the ballot box; the people will evaluate them using the government and ministry funds to carry out election campaign programmes for your parties. That's not right," he said.

Sanusi explained, however, that he had no authority to prevent the open house from being held in Kedah and that he would also attend it.

"I have no power to stop it since, after all, it's good to feed the people of Kedah. I don't know if I will receive an invitation, but I will attend as a Kedahan regardless of the invitation," he said.

The Prime Minister’s Department (JPM), in a statement, previously said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim would not be holding an Aidilfitri open house at his official residence at Kompleks Seri Perdana in Putrajaya this year.