By Steven Sim Chee Keong, MP for Bukit Mertajam and Zairil Khir Johari, MP for Bukit Bendera
During the last Parliamentary sitting in April 2014, we revealed leaked documents that showed Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin’s “working visit” to Dubai, UAE from 8 to 12 April 2014.
According to the documents, which were later not denied but instead refuted as a “draft,” Muhyiddin and his over-sized delegation flew on a “special aircraft” to Dubai, where he spent five days. Besides only a few official engagements, most of his time was spent on “private programmes,” informal events including with notable Malaysian construction companies Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd and Eversendai Corporation, as well as golfing sessions. However, Muhyiddin’s office later stated that the golf games were also part of his official programme.
Extravagant and leisurely “working visits” a norm?
According to the latest leaked documents by the same whistle-blower blog (peniupwisel2020.blogspot.com), it appears that the Dubai trip was not an isolated case, but that Muhyiddin has a tendency for such extravagant “working visits.”
In 2012, the Deputy Prime Minister had apparently gone on a similar leisurely trip on taxpayers’ expense, this time to Gold Coast, Australia.
The itinerary (attached) shows that the trip from 10 to 18 November 2012 began with two days at Melbourne where Muhyiddin officiated the 4th World Chinese Economic Forum. After the conference, it would appear that Muhyiddin decided to treat himself, his wife and his team to a four days, five nights (4D5N) trip to Gold Coast, Brisbane, which is a world-famous holiday destination.
Four days’ trip, only two hours of “work” a day
In the four full days spent in Gold Coast, Muhyiddin’s activities only took up an average of only two hours a day. Most of these activities were one-hour briefings and dinners, including a meeting with Kelab Umno students. In fact, his third day in Gold Coast consisted of no official programme at all.
Throughout the trip, Muhyiddin and his entourage stayed at the luxurious five-star Hilton Surfer’s Paradise Hotel.
“Company trip?”
To top things off, Muhyiddin’s entire entourage consisted of 17 members, made up of six bodyguards, five special officers, two press secretaries, a political secretary, a private secretary, his wife and himself.
In other words, they were no career civil servants or ministry officials accompanying him, just like in the Dubai trip recently. Is this because the Deputy Prime Minister does not trust his ministry officials, or is this because the trip to Gold Coast was nothing more than a glorified “company trip” for his staffers?
Gold Coast for ministers, kangkung for the people
With the latest revelation, it is obvious that more and more Malaysians, especially civil servants, are determined to expose the extravagant spending of BN leaders involving the public purse.
Instead of investigating the ministers involved, the government has instead threatened to take action against whistle-blowers, as clearly stated by Chief Secretary Tan Sri Ali Hamsa who has been reported to have said that the government “will take firm action including sacking civil servants found leaking its secrets,” just shortly after the Dubai trip documents were initially revealed.
Perhaps, Ali Hamsa should spend less effort defending his political masters’ imprudent ways and put more initiative into saving public funds. This is all the more important considering the government is now telling Malaysians to tighten our belts as it cuts subsidies, increase prices and implementing a new consumption tax in the form of the GST (Goods and Services Tax).
After all, why should Malaysians pay for our ministers’ leisurely holidays at the beach while ordinary Malaysians are forced to face inflation and increasing income disparity?
