KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 17 — Former Melaka chief minister Adly Zahari has dismissed claims that decisions to purchase luxury vehicles as official cars for top state officials were made when Pakatan Harapan (PH) was state government.
Online news portal Malaysiakini reported Adly as saying there was no need for new vehicles as he had inherited four vehicles from Barisan Nasional (BN) who previously led the state government prior to the 14th general election.
“When I was chief minister, I inherited four vehicles from the previous (BN) administration that could be used for the chief minister’s benefit. There is no need for new vehicles,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Adly, who is the Bukit Katil assemblyman with Parti Amanah Negara, said while the current state government can purchase whatever vehicles it sees fit, it should also be mindful of its financial capabilities and spending should prioritise the people.
He said this citing state revenue that is dwindling, and up to September 2020, the state only managed to garner 55 per cent of the projected revenue for the year.
Prior to Adly's statement, the Kota Melaka Umno Youth had claimed the application to purchase the vehicles was made when Adly was chief minister, but approval was given only after Datuk Seri Sulaiman Md Ali had taken over as chief minister following the collapse of the PH state government.
Yesterday, China Press had in its report confirmed that the Melaka government has purchased luxury vehicles to replace the current fleet of Honda Accords.
It reported that Sulaiman now commutes in a Lexus ES250, while the Melaka state assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Abdul Rauf Yusoh now uses a Toyota Camry as his official car.
