Have the guts to resist Dr M's 3rd car 'obsession', Amanah leaders told

AMANAH AGM | Amanah leaders in the cabinet must speak out against Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad's "obsession" with a third national car, a delegate told the party convention in Ipoh today.

Nik Abdul Razak Nik Md Ridzuan, representing Amanah Youth, said plans to introduce a third national car contradicts the Pakatan Harapan government's intentions to fix the country's economy and rebuild its institutions.

He added that the idea had also been widely objected by the rakyat, but none of those in the Harapan administration, including from Amanah, had said anything to Mahathir.

"(Harapan) has been saying that our country's debt is RM1 trillion, but at the same time, Mahathir announced that we will launch our third national car.

"We know that (finance minister) Lim Guan Eng said that the project, if it is carried out, would be a private investment," Nik Abdul Razak (photo) told the convention when debating a motion on the economy brought by Pasir Salak division.

"But the government had said that a large sum of money would be channelled for its research and development. 

"R&D for a new car would not take up hundreds of thousands of ringgit, or even hundreds of millions, but billions. We can see on social media that from 10 (responses), nine of them (netizens) object to the idea.

"This idea is something that cannot be defended. But I saw that in Harapan, except for a few who do not have any government posts, none of our leaders objected to or at least give a different view from the prime minister," he stressed.

Nik Abdul Razak said that by bringing up the third national car issue at the convention, it was hoped that Amanah leaders – including de facto Islamic Affairs Minister Mujahid Yusof Rawa and Federal Territories Minister Khalid Samad – would challenge the idea in cabinet. 

"Do not play safe, because we want to retain our position.

"This is idea that we cannot defend, it is an obsession of a Mahathir. But we keep quiet because we want to keep being ministers," he said to a round of applause. 

Nik Abdul Razak also took a jab at recent government's apparent flip-flop on the repayment of National Higher Education Fund (PTPTN) loans.

Calling the monthly salary deduction scheme announced by PTPTN chairperson Wan Saiful Wan Jan "unacceptable," he said the U-turn made by Education Minister Maszlee Malik on the matter also showed that the policy was made without taking into account the views of the people. - Mkini