Malaysia's latest revenue generation scheme: Auction vanity number plates

The move comes after the finance ministry set up a bank account called Tabung Harapan, or Hope Fund, to collect public donations

As Malaysia grapples with its 1 trillion-ringgit ($252 billion) debt burden, it is banking on public support to raise funds via unconventional methods, from donations to a vanity plate auction.

The government will offer a series of car number plates bearing the country’s name, ranging from Malaysia 1 to Malaysia 9999, to “cultivate love for the country” while generating proceeds for the federal coffers, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said in a press statement Monday. Bidding will start on July 2 and run for two weeks, he said.

The move comes after the finance ministry set up a bank account called