SINGAPORE: A win-win scenario might end result from personal firms sharing flight prices with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s delegation on his current abroad journeys, analysts and stakeholders mentioned.
But they added that the follow might additionally spotlight vulnerabilities in Malaysia’s political financing framework and known as for accountability to be improved.
Anwar sparked debate after telling parliament on Thursday (November 21) that non-public firms had financed 75 to 80 p.c of his flights prior to now two months. This month he was on an official go to to China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Brazil.
“If I’m not mistaken, about 70-80% of the flight prices have been borne by firms with industrial and funding pursuits,” he mentioned.
The Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry has invited firms corresponding to Petronas, oil and fuel agency Sapura Energy, automotive agency Proton and semiconductor corporations to hitch its delegation and take part in conferences overseas, it mentioned. Anwar mentioned.
“We invited these firms that had industrial and funding pursuits (to take part in these journeys), they usually paid the airfare and prices, whereas the federal government helped these firms to import or export,” Anwar mentioned, as quoted by Free Malaysia information right this moment.
It is among the measures his administration has taken to handle international journey bills extra effectively, he mentioned. “We have been doing issues in another way these days, as I seen that journey prices have been usually fairly excessive.”
Anwar was responding to Member of Parliament for Paya Besar Shahar Abdullah throughout Prime Minister’s Question Time within the Dewan Rakyat, the decrease home of Malaysia’s parliament.
In response to the controversy, authorities spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil clarified on Friday (November 22) that non-public firms didn’t pay for Anwar’s international journeys.
The whole value of the leased Malaysia Airlines aircraft, an Airbus A350, was RM6.16 million ($1.38 million) and the Malaysian authorities lined 27% of the associated fee, mentioned Fahmi, minister of communications.
“Meanwhile, the commerce delegation paid 73% of the associated fee, or RM4.5 million. So it is vital for me to spotlight that the federal government paid for the prime minister’s flight,” he mentioned.
Sharing a constitution flight with personal sector representatives throughout the journeys proved to be cheaper than if the delegation had flown alone on Putrajaya’s Jet Premier One, Fahmi mentioned, including that nearly RM900,000 was saved.
If the federal government delegation had flown alone on Jet Premiere One, which seats solely 20 passengers, it might have value nearly thrice extra, or RM2.5 million, Free Malaysia Today reported.
