Progress in Terengganu

With updates below.

Merc E-200 Kompressor for state excos. They used to get the Proton Perdana Executive V6 (see pic below) but now under the new Menteri Besar and the promise that the state will get to fondle the annual RM5 billion or so oil royalty direct from the Federal Government, the state excos from oil-rich Terengganu will be driven in a Mercedes each, instead.

The Terengganu state government is coughing up RM3.43 million for 14 units of the Kompressor. The same amount can get you 34 units of Perdana, with change (since Proton gives special rate for government purchases).

Last I saw him, this blogging MP who did the posting was still driving a Wira, his faithful junk.

Kak Ton has the full article taken from Utusan on-line. Excerpts:

“After having made a study, the state government finds that in the long run, it is better to use a new car to replace the Perdana V6 Executive which has been in use since more than four years ago.” - State Secretary Datuk Mokhtar Nong.

Updated midnight 20/7

Gearbox rosak! Perdana too costly to maintain, says MB.

Bernama.com

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General

July 20, 2008 18:45 PM

No Oil Royalty Used To Purchase 14 Mercedes E200 Official Cars, Says MB

KUALA TERENGGANU, July 20 (Bernama) -- No oil royalty was used to purchase 14 Mercedes E200 Kompressors at RM3.43 million as official cars for Terengganu executive councillors and senior state government officials, according to Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said. In defending the state government's decision to purchase the expensive cars to replace the Proton Perdana V6 Executive cars for the same official use, he said it was meant to save cost in the long run as the maintenance of the Proton Perdana cars was too high. "We are not saying that the national car is not good, but the reality is that in less than two years of use, the cars had to be repaired due to faulty components like the gear box. "For example, the car used by the Trade, Industry and Environment Committee chairman Toh Chin Yaw had been repaired twice costing RM50,000. But the Merdeces cars, although expensive to purchase, will incur us less maintenance cost in the long term," he explained. Ahmad was asked by reporters about the reported purchase of the Mercedes cars, after attending a 'tahlil' function held in conjunction with the birthday of the Terengganu Sultan, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, at Istana Maziah here, Sunday. The function was also attended by Terengganu Regency Advisory Council member Tengku Sri Laksamana Raja Tengku Sulaiman Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah, state executive councillors and state assemblymen. Ahmad said the purchase of the Mercedes E200 cars was financed by a sum allocated earlier by the state government and not by oil royalty. "How could we use the oil royalty when we have not even received it from the federal government?" he said. -- BERNAMA