Religious affairs minister says Saudi trip is fully sponsored

 

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Religious Affairs) Zulkifli Mohamad Al-Bakri said his trip to Saudi Arabia is fully sponsored.

He said this in reply to a tweet asking how much was spent to charter his flight to Madinah.

"Everything is sponsored because of the good relationship between both countries," he tweeted yesterday.

Zulkifli's trip was at the invitation of the Muslim World League - an NGO funded by the Saudi government.

A video of Zulkifli and his entourage aboard what appears to be a private jet has gone viral today, triggering backlash.

According to a video tweeted by Bernama, he was seen on board an Airbus A319, which does have a corporate jet variant.

Zulkifli arrived in Riyadh on April 10 before departing to Madinah yesterday.

According to a press release on April 9, the working visit covers bilateral talks on the haj and umrah pilgrimages, as well as meetings on regional and international issues regarding Islamic affairs.

It said that the visit would be in full compliance with Covid-19 SOPs by the Saudi government.

Zulkifli completed his vaccination for Covid-19 on March 19. - Mkini