patriot plate july 10

Yayasan Patriot Negara Malaysia (YPN) has ended bidding for the most expensive of the controversial PATRIOT registration plate number series, 'PATRIOT 1' – the final figure is listed at a cool RM1,308,000, billed to a "confidential bidder."

That, of course, makes it Malaysia's most expensive number plate, blowing the previous record – reportedly RM748,000 for 'W1N' by Sultan Ibrahim Ismail of Johor, who also paid RM520,000 for "WWW 1" – out of the water. Then again, it was bound to do so, thanks to YPN setting the reserve price at an eye-watering RM1,000,000.

Other plates have been sold for up to RM35,000, but the big ticket items with reserves in the hundreds of thousands are still being bid on. Proceeds from the sale of the PATRIOT series – similar to G1M (Gagasan 1Malaysia) and 1M4U (1Malaysia For Youth) – will be used to carry out programmes and activities that build patriotism and bring together Malaysians of various race and religion, the KL-based NGO claimed.

PATRIOT 1

According to Malaysiakini, YPN revealed that there were five people in the running for the plate, until a certain bidder "from the south" raised a bid exceeding RM1.3 million. That led to speculation that this "confidential bidder" could once again be the Sultan of Johor, but YPN vice-chairman Nadzim Johan denied the rumours.

Billed as a fund-raising drive to promote moderation, the 'PATRIOT' registration plate number series has courted some controversy, although both the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and transport minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai have played the issue down.

The foundation reportedly secured the rights to sell the vanity number plates for RM1 million, and JPJ has said that YPN would have to pay the full amount to the government regardless of whether it was able to sell all the numbers – Nadzim had previously claimed that YPN could make as much as RM10 million from selling all the number plates. Liow, on the other hand, said that there was no controversy in him awarding the rights.