Friday 25 July 2008

Actually, the 14 Mercs are for visiting foreign dignitaries...

...says the Prime Minister.

Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has clarified that the 14 Mercedes E200 Kompressors purchased by the Terengganu government for RM3.43mil would be used for visiting foreign dignitaries. (read here)

He said that this was the decision he reached with Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak after speaking with Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said on Thursday.

However, earlier Friday, Ahmad said, "We (Abdullah and Najib) reached a consensus on the matter during the meeting at Putra World Trade Centre (on Thursday). The matter has been solved."

The Terengganu government was criticised recently after it purchased 14 Mercedes E200 Kompressors for RM3.43mil.

Ahmad said both leaders have told him that the matter is solved and should be laid to rest. (Read the Star online PM okays Merc for T’ganu State Government here. Malaysiakini had the same report T’ganu gets PM’s nod for Mercedes, here .

Datuk Ahmad, in the earlier report, was quoted as saying that the Mercedes-Benz saga has ended after he met with the Prime Minister and his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on Thursday.

“The matter has been solved. I can't elaborate further," he said Friday after opening the Seri Kandi's Annual General Meeting at his official residence here.

Asked whether the Mercedes Benz E200 K could be now regarded as official cars for state executive councillors and ex officio, Ahmad quipped ``Make your own presumption. I was told the matter has been solved."

Ahmad described his meeting with both Abdullah and Najib as cordial.

"I explained my rationale for switching the Proton Perdanas to Mercedes-Benz and they have accepted it.

"I told them that the state government has not spent extravagantly and the decision to procure the Mercedes was done after two years of evaluation," he said.

(sources: The Star, Malaysiakini)

( Two different versions on the outcome of the meeting the trio had. If the PM had said they were for foreign dignitaries how did this bloke get it wrong? Makes one wonders what actually transpired in the meeting. Who has flipped and flopped? Is the State Government getting another fleet for the excos now that their new gleaming new Mercs will be taken away? Have the Perdana V6 been sold off/traded in for the Mercs? Does that mean the Federal Government is buying them (the Merc lah)? This is what happens when bad decisions are made.)

8 comments:

Salt N Turmeric said...

Kak Ton, sounds like PM kena blackmailed and had to bow down to Tganu. Their excuses suck. Their justification sucks. If its true, they should have given the cars to federal gov.

Donplaypuks® said...

Another flip flop by Rip Van Winkle & Rosmajib.

"You must use Perdana. But if you defy us, then you can use the Merc. You will save the Rakyat millions in maintenance costs by spending millions on capital expenditure on Mercs. Enjoy!!"

Soon, all visiting foreign PM's, Presidents and Ambassadors like Bush, Rice, Ruud, Brown etc will first rush to KT to pay their respects to the MB there before heading for its poor second cousin, KL & Putrajaya, so that they can enjoy the comfort of a Merc Kompressor, which they do not have in the boondocks like Washington & London!!

Of course, the matter has been solved, and ther's no need to investigate who defrauded the Govt with false invoices and claims for RM 1 million! That's the true spirit of Bolehland to inculcate in our children and work-force.

Wonderfully forgiving & forgetting BN Govt we have!!
http://donplaypuks.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

MB Terengganu sudah menyusahkan orang dengan membeli dulu sebelum mengusulkannya. Sepatutnya dia consult dulu sebelum buat keputusan. Sekarangn nak jual balik pun susah juga, kerana ia akan menyebabkan kerugian juga. Lain kali berfikir dulu sebelum bertindak.

Anonymous said...

A bad decision followed by a stupid decision.

Kudos to Umno! Umno boleh!

burhanlong said...

It is true that Proton Perdana can be injurous to your pocket if you are unlucky and landed with one with sub-standard gear box. For regular long distance cross-country as done by ADUNs, Perdana is grossly uneconomical. For shorter shuttle in the city as done by KL-based ministers, Perdana is OK. The Perdana Executive is more expensive than normal one, costing around RM180K. With high maintenance cost and less comfort, MB Terengganu made the right choice in switching to entry-level Merc models costing around RM245K each.

It must be remembered that under Federalism, Putrajaya has little say in the choosing the MB, much less the MB's car.

Anonymous said...

Kalau beli tak boleh pakai, hanya untuk diguna oleh para pembesar asing, why buy in the 1st place.

Memang alasan yang tak munasabah.

Betul kata Anon di atas "a bad decision followed by a stupid one".

Apa-apalah Ameno ni.

Bodoh! Membazirkan duit rakyat aje!

Anonymous said...

The mess they get into. Just unbelievable.

It's a done thing. Now in reversing the decision of the State Govt, Pak Lah comes out with a stupid decision to "solve the problem." He wants the mercedes Benz saga be put to rest.

I can imagine the state exco members howling & are hopping mad crying out loud: "foul". Lollllolll.

Damn you Datuk, the might say ...you promise, you promise mah! Now you are going against yr word.

The MB sure kena one. How to explain to them, ah? One moment it is ok & next minute it is "Not ok". Mesti kena sumpah!

Anonymous said...

Ho ho,

Kena sumpah by exco members tak apa.

Asal jangan kena sumpah oleh rakyat kerana "suara rakyat suara kermat".