Corporate Landlord

Okay, here's a shocking news - to me, at least. The Malaysian government is paying rent for both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister's residences in Putra Jaya. I read in MalaysiaKini today that the government is currently paying Putrajaya Holdings an annual rent of over RM 4 million (USD 1.2 million) for Seri Perdana (PM's official residence) and RM 3.4 million (USD 950,000) for Seri Satria (DPM's official residence). What kind of government doesn't own its own buildings, especially where it houses the leaders of the country? Can one imagine if the White House or 10 Downing Street or Champs-Élysées is owned by some corporate entity, to which the government has to write rent check every quarter? Okay, granted that majority of the Putrajaya Holdings' stake is owned by the semi-privatized Petronas and Khazanah Nasional (government's private investment arm) but it still doesn't negate the fact that both houses are privately-owned. In the rush to build this unnecessary mega administrative city (Putra Jaya), the BN-led government is willing to go at any length to get it done, which includes spending beyond its means and "borrowing" from (or should I say, strong-arming) major Malaysian corporations for financing. This is simply beyond the pale for government conduct. It then begs another question: does the government even own the other Ministry buildings in Putra Jaya or does it have to pay rent for them too? All this racket ultimately boils down to one thing: corruption at the highest level of government. Really sickening!