Kelantan Deputy MB Claims He Needs A Mercedes Benz And It Isn't For Luxury
He added that the state government buying luxury cars was not "something new".
By Andrea Tang — 13 Sep 2018, 11:36 AM
Kelantan Deputy Menteri Besar Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah has defended the purchase of his new Mercedes-Benz as a need for the state administration's top officials, not a luxury
The purchase of a new Mercedes-Benz E250 was said to be used by the PAS-led state administration's top officials.
It was also deemed an economic decision that will save the state government's money, according to The Star Online.
The purchase of the luxury car was also to replace one of their existing cars that has become old
"Going by the rules, the vehicles can be changed after five years, but we have cars that are 10 to 12 years old," he said, according to Utusan Malaysia Online.
He also added that the maintenance cost of the Mercedes-Benz would be lower than other cars.
"We also buy according to our affordability, we don't simply change all (the vehicles). So far only one (bought). In fact, the maintenance is cheaper than that of a Honda or Toyota," he claimed, as reported by Malaysiakini.
This is not the first Mercedes-Benz the state government has purchased
The state government purchased only one other Mercedes-Benz which is used by the state secretary, Nazran Muhammad, according to Malaysiakini.
Amar added that there were no issues in buying a new luxury car because they have already bought such cars during the time of the late Tok Guru, Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat.
The issue was brought to the public's attention by Kelantan Pakatan Harapan chairperson Husam Musa on 11 September
The purchase raised a lot of eyebrows, given Kelantan's poor financial standing, as reported by Malaysiakini.
"As far as I know, the official car of state officials is the Proton Perdana. Is Kelantan that rich to the point where a Proton Perdana can be replaced with a Mercedes-Benz?" Husam said, according to Utusan Malaysia Online.