The PKR sec-gen chides Putrajaya for using the Agong’s name to justify their hefty spending on a new personal jet for the PM.
The Pandan MP had yesterday revealed in a press conference at Parliament that Putrajaya had bought its seventh jet, an Airbus ACJ320 secured for Najib’s use through a direct negotiation hire-purchase deal with Jet Premier One (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.
The Prime Minister’s department had made a statement yesterday that the plane would also be used by the Agong.
“The people can tell how many times the King has been on official state visits to other countries from that of the Prime Minister himself,” said Rafizi, dismissing the claim.
“If truly this personal jet is for the King’s use, then I challenge Najib to detail every journey taken with government jets and who uses the jets, including the currently existing Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) and Airbus Commercial Jetliner (ACJ319).
Just how often are they used that the number of jets becomes insufficient and needs to be added on to?”
He also dismissed the claim made by the Prime Minister’s department that the purchase was necessary to replace the BBJ jet that could no longer be used, saying that a Boeing jet had a lifespan of about 20-25 years if maintained by industry standards, and the BBJ was only 16 years old and infrequently used.
“The excuses given by the Prime Minister’s department are unacceptable because they still don’t answer the need to buy yet another personal jet for the Prime Minister and his Cabinet,” said Rafizi.
Rafizi had detailed also in a separate statement the costs involved in the hefty buy, listing them for the sake of questioning.
“The rakyat needs to know how much of their money has been used to fund this jet,” said Rafizi, adding that the country’s finances were so bad that the government could not even afford oil subsidies yet had the funds to purchase a plane for the PM.
He pointed out that among the costs, not including operational costs, the Malaysian government was to pay an upfront deposit of USD20 million, and the remainder through monthly instalments for the next 15 years, the USD20 million being the equivalent of RM65.22 million after conversion through the current rate of USD1=RM3.261.
The monthly instalments for the remainder were to amount to USD679,984 a month, or RM2.217 million.
As such, the total costs, including service fees (RM1,055,195.40), would total up to a staggering RM465,411,952.58.
Rafizi also pointed out that the Malaysian government would still be subject to currency fluctuations for the next 15 years, and so according to the terms the final costs would definitely be much higher than currently estimated.
“I am confident no Malaysian citizen is willing to spend a half-billion Malaysian Ringgit hamper out of the people’s money, not when there are still flood victims in Kelantan staying in tents,” said Rafizi.
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