KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — Did you miss out on the “Patriot” car registration plates that were up for grabs last June? Fear not, you have a second chance to buy them now and at half the price at that!

The plates are on offer at the Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC) here this week, in conjunction with the five-day Umno general assembly held there.

“There is no need for bidding, you can just register on our website or come straight to our booth at the Putra World Trade Centre to get discounts up to 50 per cent,” Yayasan Patriot Nasional Malaysia (YPNM) marketing officer Afif Nadim which is handling the sales told ProjekMMO, sister publication to Malay Mail Online in Bahasa Malaysia, when met today.

YPNM had come under fire for the initiative six months ago, with critics claiming that the group had obtained the plate number auction from Putrajaya under questionable circumstances.

It denied any wrongdoing and said the initiative was meant to raise funds and promote patriotism through various events.

The foundation reiterated its position again when queried by ProjekMMO.

“We received numerous accusations like we are selling our sovereignty off.  But does the sale of the Jalur Gemilang (Malaysian flag) equate to selling off our sovereignty too?

“It is just a similar concept with Patriot. We are only trying to instill patriotism in the rakyat and unite them,” Afif said.

The self-proclaimed pro-patriotism group said the project to auction the Patriot car plates is its own private initiative, and that the estimated RM10 million that it hopes to generate from sales will be used to fund events to promote patriotism among Malaysians of all races and backgrounds.

YPNM also said they paid the Road Transport Department (RTD) a lump sum of RM1 million for the right to auction the plates, while a further RM1 million has been spent on overhead costs for the number plates so far.

The group had previously explained that it had applied for the Patriot number plate auction in 2013 when Umno’s Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein was in charge of the Transport Ministry, but only received approval this year after MCA president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai took over the portfolio.

It denied claims that it used its Umno links to win the auction rights or that it used backwater channels to apply directly to Hishammuddin.

It said its chairman Brigadier-General Datuk Husainay Hashim (Retired) was appointed to the post because of his 33 years of experience in the Royal Malaysian Air Force.