KUALA TERENGGANU, July 27 (Bernama) -- The 14 Mercedes E200 Kompressor cars purchased by the Terengganu government will be used temporarily as official cars for the state executive council members and senior state government officers.
Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said said the cars would be used pending completion of the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA)'s investigations into the high maintenance cost of the state's fleet of Proton Perdana V6 Executive cars.
He said the ACA had taken the Proton Perdana cars that were used by the state executive councillors and officers.
"So the executive council members and officers will have to use the Mercedes...the prime minister had also said that (we) can use the Mercedes cars once in a while," he told reporters at a dinner with state Umno leaders here last night.
State Tourism and Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee Chairman Datuk Za'abar Mohd Adib arrived to attend the Malaysia Flora Fest 2008 in Johor Baharu yesterday in one of the new Mercedes cars.
Two days ago, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi announced that the Terengganu government could keep the Mercedes Benzes, but only for use by its guests and not for the state exco members and its senior officers.
[More at http://www.bernama.com.my/bernama/v3/news.php?id=348791]
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Terengganu Executive Councillors Get To Use Mercedes Temporarily - Bernama
Exco men use Merc despite Cabinet order - The Star
By Gladys Tay
JOHOR BARU: At least four of Terengganu's eight state executive council members are using newly purchased Mercedes-Benz E200 Kompressor cars despite a Cabinet directive against doing so.
Several of them were seen travelling in the cars to official functions and meetings.
Those who were seen taking rides in the car said they were waiting for Terengganu Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said to make an announcement at Wednesday's state executive council meeting on when to give up the cars.
Terengganu Tourism, Culture, Arts and Heritage Committee chairman Datuk Za’abar Mohd Adib attended the Malaysian Flora Fest here yesterday in his gleaming new black Mercedes-Benz.
“I think the issue is overblown,” said Za'abar yesterday when met after the function.
When asked whether he knew about Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's announcement, he said he was aware of it and that Ahmad had already commented about it.
On Friday, Abdullah had announced that all the Mercedes-Benzes bought by the state for its executive council members could only be used for foreign dignitaries.
[More at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/7/27/nation/21934843&sec=nation]
