Terengganu Govt Says Nothing Unusual About New SUV Fleet To Replace Old Official Cars
A state official accused certain quarters of politicising the purchase of the new vehicles.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 29 Dec 2023, 11:24 AM
The Terengganu state government has downplayed the purchase of a new sports utility vehicle (SUV) fleet for the state's Menteri Besar (MB) and state executive councillors (EXCO)
This comes after a photo of at least seven Mazda SUVs went viral on social media, all bearing Terengganu number plates, reported FMT.
Terengganu state secretary Datuk Seri Tengku Farok Hussin Tengku Abdul Jalil said the matter should not be an issue, as the state government followed standard practice and did not violate any laws or regulations on the procurement of the vehicles.
"It is a common practice that when there is a change in government, the vehicles will be replaced.
"Last year, when the forestry department purchased four-wheel drive vehicles, nobody raised any concerns about it.
"So, why bring up the matter (about new SUVs) now?" Farok was quoted as saying on Wednesday, 27 December.
He accused certain quarters of deliberately politicising the issue as it involved Terengganu MB Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar and the state leadership.
Last Saturday, 23 December, a Facebook post accused the Terengganu state government of hypocrisy for claiming there were insufficient funds for certain public initiatives
"Told to pay the salary of [football] players that is overdue for three months, the management said it didn't have the money.
"Told to use allocated funds to alleviate floods, [the state government] said it didn't have the money.
"Told to pay contractors who cleaned the districts and mowed grass for the past five to six months, it said it didn't have the money.
"Told to pay civil servants' allowance, it said it didn't have the money. But when it comes to buying cars for EXCOs, it has the money," read the viral post with 990 shares on Facebook.
The post, along with comments from other netizens, highlighted that PAS, the ruling party of the Terengganu state government, secured victory in all 40 contested seats — 32 state seats and eight parliamentary seats — in the last elections.
This has led to suggestions for local voters to wake up and recognise the perceived incompetence of the elected officials.
