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KUALA LUMPUR – The government has spent RM18.6 million on official overseas visits by cabinet members from January to April this year, minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said.
In that period, there were 64 official visits abroad by ministers and all these trips were approved by the cabinet, the minister for special functions and Sabah and Sarawak affairs said in a parliamentary written reply dated yesterday.
Of the trips in that period, the Prime Minister’s Department had the most with 15, followed by the Foreign Ministry with nine.
The official visits by ministers and their delegations were “to help the government strengthen the economy through trade cooperation and by attracting foreign direct investment”, said Armizan in the written reply.
He added that the trips allowed “the leaders of countries to exchange views and strengthen bilateral cooperation”.
The minister was answering a question by Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (Merbok-PN), who asked the government to state the total total number of official visits overseas by ministers from January to April this year and how much they cost.
Armizan also replied to a question from Afnan Hamimi Taib Azamudden (Alor Star-PN) who asked about the cost of using private jets for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim from December 2022, after he became prime minister, until April this year.
Armizan said in that period, the prime minister had used an Airbus government executive jet, maintained by the Prime Minister’s Department, nine times for official duties overseas.
Another 17 working trips to domestic destinations were also made using government executive aircraft of the Global Express and Falcon types, which are maintained by the air force.
“Use of government executive aircraft is a privilege enjoyed by every prime minister as the head of government. All costs involved are appropriate with the service and management of the aircraft involved,” Armizan said. – The Vibes, May 23, 2022