Visits to the Disneyland theme parks in the US and France were supposed to be work trips but he treated them as holidays and took his wife, children and maid. He blew RM1.7 million on his supposed work trips between 2004 and 2007.
Because they had previously lived in poverty and now had access to millions, his wife and her friends even went on a “repentance” trip to “see and feel” how the poor in an Asean country lived. But then it was just to “experience” the feeling of being poor for a fleeting moment after which they were soaking themselves in the comfort of their luxury rooms in a five-star hotel. For this, a fairy godmother paid RM82,227, including RM19,000 for library books, RM25,000 for accommodation and transportation for four people, inclusive of RM3,000 allowance for reporters and RM10,000 for the production of a video clip.
The exchange between the Godmother and Joe Public went something like this:
Joe Public: What was this trip for?
Godmother: This was a programme designed to make people repent.
Joe Public: Who repented?
Godmother: Both sides repented. Because when those who visited the country saw how much suffering there was, they repented.
Joe Public: So, those who were suffering saw that we were rich, and so they too repented? Did you notice a change or a tinge of repentance in those who went for the trip?
Godmother: That is subjective.
Repentance did not work or had to work. On Christmas Eve two years ago, the man, his wife and an entourage were off again to Disney World in Orlando and Miami Beach. After that, they flew to Honolulu on a sight-seeing trip. They also visited the Kennedy Space Center. We were told that it was to see how the concept could be replicated locally, but when we have only one Malaysian space tourist, what is there to be replicated? But the eight-day trip cost a whopping RM646,840.
But wait. The cost of housing the ice cream boy and his family in suites at the Hilton Waikiki Hotel and the Walt Disney Dolphin Hotel cost RM110,000. (One quarter of this sum would give the caddy a low-cost apartment) But then Disneyland had yet to be taken in. Instead of flying in to Charles de Gaulle airport and be driven to the Chessy, he had other plans such as rewarding his minions by offering them an all-expenses paid trip in the guise of a recce trip. That cost RM366,000. When he flew, he and the family decided a sojourn in Dubai and that cost money too. The cost of both trips amounted to RM900,000.
So, all in all, it must have cost several millions for him, his wife and their family and friends on trips to Disneyland theme parks around the world. But the inevitable question is: Where did all the money come from? His forefathers did not exactly leave a family fortune and he did not own a thriving business organisation. Working as a tukang gigi for a few years wouldn’t have brought such a windfall.
While Joe Public was scratching his head and looking for answers, Godmother appeared on the scene. “I was directed to fund these projects,” she said.
“By whom?”
“By someone upstairs.”
The questioners were silent. Didn’t she have to account for the expenditure?
“Yes, but those upstairs screamed at me in unison.’
“What did they say?”
“Semuanya OK!”
And the echo from the basement car park was: “I did nothing wrong.”
Sun2SurfR. Nadeswaran is editor (special and investigative reporting) at theSun. He can be reached at
citizen-nades@thesundaily.com 
