Published by Malta Independent on 5 January 2014.
Amid austerity measures, some Malaysian bloggers are questioning whether Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak is now jetting across the country in a new luxury aircraft.
In blog postings by, among others, Big Dog and RockyBru, they pointed to an Airbus ACJ320 with tail number 9H-AWK using the call number, “Perdana 2” or “NR2” – which incidentally are similar to Najib’s initials.
The aircraft is registered in Malta and leased from aviation group Comlux.
According to aviation news website Aviation Week, Jet Premier One (M) Sdn Bhd, the company which manages flights for VVIPs in Malaysia, including Najib, had indeed leased the Airbus ACJ320 from Comlux, Malaysiakini reported.
The lease was supposed to be a temporary replacement for the regular aircraft Najib uses, an Airbus ACJ319, being refurbished by Comlux Aviation Services.
The Airbus ACJ319 with tail number 9M-NAA operated under the call name “NR1” or “Perdana 1” and is the official aircraft for the prime minister, similar to that of the US president’s Air Force One.
It first came under the spotlight in 2011 when Najib flew on the Airbus ACJ319 to Perth, Australia, apparently on holiday.
In a press release by Comlux May last year, the company had announced it had won a contract to rework the VIP area of the Airbus ACJ319 as well as handle scheduled maintenance works for six years.
The company did not specify the value of the project.
In the interim, Comlux leased an Airbus ACJ320 with tail number 9H-AWK to Jet Premier One.
It took over the call name of “NR1” and “Perdana 1” and was spotted taking off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 6 October to Denpasar International Airport, Bali, according to flight enthusiast site Jet Photos .
Najib left for Bali on 6 December for the Asia Pacific Economic Conference Summit.
The aircraft comes with a lounge, a private room equipped with personal bathroom and has WiFi and phone access while in the air.
Comlux did not reveal how much the plane was leased for but according to the company’s brochure, the approximate operating cost for its Airbus ACJ320 flight is $8,350.31 (RM27,501.75) per hour.
In another press statement in October last year, Comlux announced that it has completed refurbishing the “head of state of Malaysia aircraft” Airbus ACJ319 after working on it since its arrival at its US base in June that year.
Despite the return of the plane, the lease for the Airbus ACJ320 appears to be still active and has been spotted jetting around in Malaysia.
The Airbus ACJ320 changed its call name to “NR2” or “Perdana 2” while the ACJ319 took back its call name “NR1” or “Perdana 1”.
According to air traffic tracker website Flight Radar 24, the Airbus ACJ320 with tail number 9H-AWK last took off from KLIA under the call name “NR2” on 31 December.
The site also recorded the Airbus ACJ319 with tail number 9M-NAA taking off from KLIA on 26 December under the call name “NR1”.
In a parliamentary reply on 7 November last year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Shahidan Kassim revealed that the government spent RM14.95 million for fuel and RM160.08 million in maintenance for VVIP flights in 2012.
The government aircraft include a Falcon, Global Express, Boeing Business Jet, Blackhawk, two Augustas and a Fokker F28.
However, that reply did not mention either the Airbus AC319 or Airbus ACJ320. Malaysiakini has contacted the Prime Minister’s Department and is awaiting reply.
Several ministers are still living up the good life although Putrajaya is trimming its budget after asking Malaysians to tighten their belts and be thrifty in the face of rising living costs and subsidy cuts this year.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi hosted a “lavish” birthday bash at a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur yesterday which his guests claimed was a New Year’s party.
Another minister had thrown a two-day wedding celebration for his child at another five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur last month, graced by royalty and VIPs who were entertained by a top Indonesian songstress.
Several pro-Umno bloggers have also questioned the Prime Minister's Department over the need for two VIP jets after it was revealed that Putrajaya spent some RM180 million to maintain and operate government jets for official trips in 2012.
But yesterday's luncheon came after Putrajaya announced 11 measures to trim public spending, involving cuts to entertainment and transport allowances for ministers and top civil servants apart from freezing office renovation requests.
Receiving a tip-off about the luncheon, The Malaysian Insider visited the top hotel where guests and the birthday boy followed the party theme and were dressed in red.
Ahmad Zahid’s guests feasted on a buffet spread in the hotel’s grand ballroom while he mingled with them, including several civil servants who were invited through an email sighted by The Malaysian Insider.
The Umno vice-president smiled and shook hands with well-wishers after the party, while luxury cars with chauffeurs were lined up in front of the hotel, causing traffic to halt as Porsche Cayennes and Toyota Alphards parked by the roadside.
The Malaysian Insider tried to speak to Ahmad Zahid but was stopped by his bodyguards and told to leave or be escorted out.
It is not known who picked up the tab for Ahmad Zahid’s party, nor the reason for the red theme, but his guests were dressed in their finest with designer handbags and totes in their hands.
A guest told The Malaysian Insider that the party had celebrated two birthdays, Ahmad Zahid's and his grandchild which fell on the same day but also insisted that it was a New Year’s party as emblazoned on the stage backdrop.
Invitations were also sent out via email on Friday to selected employees from the Home Ministry. The email, titled “Celebration of home minister’s birthday”, also included a note to extend the invitation to cabinet and Umno Supreme Council members.
The lavish birthday party and opulent wedding of a minister's daughter and even Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng's new government limousine come at a time when most Malaysians are grumbling about price hikes for electricity, food, fuel and even schooling costs.
Prices of fuel, sugar and electricity tariffs rose after Putrajaya cut back on its subsidies while public transport fares would be increased this year. The goods and services tax would also be introduced in 2015.
Government spending ballooned with this year’s budget up to RM264.2 billion from last year’s RM251.6 billion amid concerns that Putrajaya was not cutting back on expenses despite asking the public to do so.
A number of Malaysians had also poured scorn over Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's announcement on December 30 that Putrajaya would implement 11 austerity measures to cut spending in 2014.
Najib's economic czar, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar had even advised consumers to spend wisely and look for alternatives.
The former banker said that Malaysians have to be thrifty and live within their means.
"I go to the market every week. I know that the prices of basic necessities are high, but consumers have a choice in what they spend their money on," he was quoted as saying in a news report.
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