Ismail also turned down new car, stayed in own house, says aide

 

Ismail Sabri Yaakob chose to stay in his personal home after becoming prime minister instead of moving to Seri Perdana, which had been nicely renovated, says his aide Ruhaidini Abd Kadir. (Facebook pic)

PETALING JAYA: There is nothing extraordinary about Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim turning down a new official vehicle, says an aide to his predecessor Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

Ruhaidini Abd Kadir, who is Ismail’s press secretary, said the Bera MP had also turned down the option of using a new official car and staying in Seri Perdana when he became the ninth prime minister in August last year.

She said Ismail decided against using a bullet-proof vehicle that was procured by the government as he felt more comfortable using the multipurpose vehicle (MPV) that was used by the previous administration.

“In fact, Ismail even refused to approve upgrades to Perdana 1 (the official aircraft of the prime minister).

“He also continued to stay in his personal home and opted against moving to Seri Perdana, though the prime minister’s official residence had been nicely renovated,” she said in a Facebook post.

On Saturday, Anwar said no new official car will be purchased for his use, nor will any renovations be carried out at his office. He added that this was to avoid any wastage under his administration “because every ringgit counts”.

Yesterday, the prime minister said he turned down the use of a new Mercedes-Benz S600 limousine as his official car. He said it had been purchased by the Prime Minister’s Department before he was appointed to the top post. - FMT