ROSMAH'S MONEY: Legal or not depends on WHERE & WHOM it came from...

‘But we are asking, where the money came from.’

Aries46: Tourism and Culture Minister Nazri Abdul Aziz contends that RM2 million in Rosmah Mansor’s account is perfectly normal for a PM’s wife and since these millions have computerised records, it is transparent, free from abuse, legal and beyond suspicion.

So is there a threshold for the ruling elites, public officials and politicians that can be construed as suspicious or illegal?

By his rational, regardless of the amount channeled or its questionable source, it is considered perfectly legitimate as long as there are computerised bank records.

As a parliamentarian and a former de facto law minister, is Nazri’s interpretation a true reflection of the country’s financial and corruption laws?

Is it his contention that even the RM2.6 billion allegedly transferred to PM Najib Razak’s personal account in AmIslamic Bank is transparent, legitimised and free of abuses as long as it has computerised bank records?

Kingfisher: Kudos to Nazri for attempting to defend what to many would seem indefensible.

In the husband's issue, it is a non-acknowledgment of public money in one's account but with a vehement declaration that no public money was used for personal gain.

In the wife's matter, it is admission of having money transferred in one's personal account but a denial voluntarily that it is not public money.

Nobody has stated categorically that she has public money in her account. Nazri in his defence of the elites misses the logic of the ordinary people whom he claims have sent him to Parliament for five times.

Nobody is against the rich. This is free country. The investigation in people's mind is whether the wealth is illegitimately disproportionate to one's legitimate means of income.

ACR: Rosmah runs Permata and heads Bakti. If at all monies are required for those activities, it should be banked into the accounts of those organisations.

Malaysians only have themselves to blame for this state of affairs - that a minister has the audacity to give incontrovertible garbage for an excuse of prima facie corruption and state we should not be confused between transparency and corruption.

Anonymous#007: No one has made any allegations that the money is not legitimate. The concerns are these are large cash deposits within a short period of time.

In these days of electronic banking and rising crime, any right-thinking person - both payer and recipient - would request a bank transfer for such sums.

Unless of course if she is running a cash business (again, totally legitimate), for example a convenience store chain, but even then, business process dictates the cash should go to the registered business account. And, if the money is legitimate, it would be simple to state its source.

To top it off, you cannot blame the rakyat - for whom even a single transaction into Rosmah's account would be a lifetime savings - for being suspicious when all the Umno-BN ministers have refused to declare their assets and income to the rakyat.

Viewpointstoday: Did Nazri confirm that people gave Rosmah millions (and perhaps more) which is then totally in her discretion to use to help others? How does he know this? Why didn’t Rosmah make this statement herself?

Is Rosmah licensed or approved to receive such donations? Will Rosmah be taxable on such donations and did she declare and account for such receipts formally? The minister may have opened up a can of worms for Rosmah.

Vijay47: Nazri, before I comment on your earth-shattering definition of what is 'transparent and legal', I must admit I am heartened by your affirmation that "the sum of money deposited has the computerised bank records for checking".

While this restores my faith in the efficiency of our banking institutions, one small matter perplexes me - why did you or anybody else not give us a similar assurance in respect of the transfers of substantial sums into Najib's accounts at AmIslamic Bank?

It is of course possible that AmIslamic Bank does not practise mundane procedures like computerised bank records for checking or other pastimes, though I do recall that in Najib's case, the sums involved were slightly more than RM2 million.

Coming to your revelation that transparency and legality are bestowed on transactions that are supported by bank records, I am sure various persons will find relief in this sanctuary. I presume this extends only to computerised and not other bank records.

Swipenter: Indeed, nobody is saying that the money is illegal. We are asking where the money came from? Why try to put a spin on it?

If everything is legitimate, she should come out and clarify this and shut her critics up once and for all.

Bluemountains: If the money and the source are legal, it is always transacted electronically or by cheque. Nobody carries such huge sums of money to the bank nowadays.

It sounds very similar to the case of the driver of an actress banking in cash allegedly received from a minister.

Slumdog: Since when has Nazri, the tourism and culture minister, become a spokesperson for Rosmah? Why is he speaking on this issue when it has nothing to do with him? Why can’t Rosmah speak for herself?

His attempt at trying to explain the deposit of RM2 million into Rosmah’s bank account makes absolutely no sense. I can only surmise that his comments are for the benefit of Umno’s half-brained supporters.

Justine Gow: Tomorrow, all the ministers and deputy ministers will announce that they have all chipped in from their savings to give Rosmah a tax free gift of RM2 million for the good work that she has done as FLOM (First Lady of Malaysia).

Anything is possible in this land of endless possibilities. - M'kini