The Defence Ministry has slammed Petaling Jaya MP Tony Pua over accusations that the government is intending to buy 257 armoured personnel carriers (APC) for a sum far above market price.

"Any decision regarding the pricing of the APCs has not been made and will only happen after the units have completed standards testing, and further discussions have concluded," said the ministry in a statement released this afternoon.

NONE It added that it viewed Pua's ( right ) statements as published in Malaysiakini and The Malaysian Insider as inaccurate.

The ministry also defended their plans to purchase the APCs, calling them "a necessity to developing the country's defence system to international standards".

"Mindef is always careful when it comes to asset purchase because it involves a large sum of money. Each plan for asset purchase will take everything into account, especially how the Armed Forces can benefit in defending the country," the statement read.

However, the ministry confirmed that a Letter of Intent has been sent to DRB-HICOM Defence Technologies (Deftec) for thorough studies of the APCs to see if it conforms to Mindef standards.

RM8 billion price tag

Pua had claimed in Parliament last Thursday that the government is intending to spend a total of RM8 billion on the APCs, or RM31.3 million a piece, despite cheaper and far superior alternatives in the market.

NONE "Even the best in class main battle tank... M1 Abrams M1A2 ( left )... goes for less than RM 20 million," he said earlier.

He also pointed out that Deftec chairman Mohd Khamil Jamil had said in a press conference in Defence Service Asia (DSA) 2010 that there was already an order for 257 8x8 AWV units.