The Peugeot sedan was the grand prize out of more than 600 prizes up for grabs last night, and was attended by about 1,000 media practitioners, bloggers, civil servants, ministers, and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor.
According to the emcees, the event is meant to show appreciation to the media.
“As the government, we consider the media as a partner. If we want to build our country, make it the country of our dreams, and bring it to the pinnacle of success that we can be proud of, then the role of the media is very important,” Najib added in his speech.
Most of the prizes appeared to be kitchen appliances and cookware such as rice cookers, blenders, pots, and pans.
There were also bicycles and motorcycles, plus electronics such as two iPhone 6 (64 gigabyte) smartphones, Samsung Tab 4 tablets, and Samsung LED televisions of various sizes up to 75 inches
After UMNO had plundered billions from their own retirement and religious funds, a few crumbs were allowed to filter down last night to the humble scribes whose job it is to justify the looting.
The participants of this embarrassing spectacle, where professional journalists were left to grovel for pots and pans at a government sponsored event, would have honoured themselves better by boycotting it.
After all, this is a regime which is being condemned internationally for locking up writers, arresting journalists and moving to destroy freedom of speech.
Surely, such serious attacks on the very meaning of their profession should have incentivised some of these revellers to plead sickness and stay away?
Or was a chance of a free rice cooker and a goodie bag too much to turn down?