SINGAPORE: A win-win condition may result from private firms sharing aircraft costs with Malaysia Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s committee on his new international trips, said analysts and stakeholders.
They also called for better accountability and said the practice was likewise reveal weaknesses in Malaysia’s political funding framework.
After telling parliament on Thursday ( Nov 21 ) that private companies had contributed 75 to 80 percent of Mr. Anwar’s flights over the previous two months, he sparked debate. He was on official trips to China, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Peru and Brazil this month.
” If I am not mistaken, around 70 or 80 per cent of the flight charges were borne by firms with business and investment pursuits”, he said.
According to Mr. Anwar, the Investment, Trade, and Industry Ministry had invited businesses to travel to meetings worldwide, including Petronas, Sapura Energy, Sapura Energy, Proton, and other automakers.  ,
According to Mr. Anwar, as quoted by Free Malaysia Now,” we invited these businesses with business and investment objectives to meet these visits, and they paid for the tickets and expenses.”  ,
It is one of his president’s measures to control the expenses of international trips more quickly, he said. We recently made some changes because I noticed how expensive journey was frequently.
Mr Anwar was responding to Member of Parliament for Paya Besar Shahar Abdullah during Prime Minister’s Problem Day in the Dewan Rakyat, Malaysia’s lower house of parliament.
Government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil clarified on Friday ( Nov 22 ) that private companies did not reimburse Mr. Anwar’s travel expenses.  ,
The total cost of the chartered Malaysia Airlines plane, an Airbus A350, was RM6.16 million ( US$ 1.38 million ) and the Malaysian government covered 27 per cent of the cost, said Mr Fahmi, who is communications minister.
” However, the company group paid 73 per share of the cost, or RM4.5 million. So it is essential for me to stress that the government paid for the prime minister’s airfare”, he said.
According to Mr. Fahmi, flying on the Putrajaya’s Jet Premier One on its own cost more than if the committee had traveled on a chartered trip during the journeys, he added, saving almost RM900,000.  ,
If the federal committee had flown on its own on the Jet Premiere One, which can hold just 20 people, it would have cost about three days more, or RM2.5 million, Free Malaysia Today reported.