Deputy Finance Minister Chua Tee Yong lambasted DAP parliamentarian Nga Kor Ming today for calling the government's latest addition to its fleet of aircraft a 'private jet'.
"It is not a private jet. It is the government's jet. Please check your facts first before asking," Chua told Nga in Parliament today, the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club's (BNBBC) portal reported.
Nga ( left ) had earlier submitted a supplementary question in relation to the government's efforts to control its expenditure, particularly so with the purchase of what he called a 'private jet'.
Bernama yesterday quoted the Prime Minister's Department as saying that the new aircraft made its first ' official flight ', flying the Yang di-Pertuan Agong from Alor Setar to Langkawi at 10am.
The department reiterated that the government’s fleet of VIP jets are primarily for the use of the Agong, the prime minister and the deputy prime minister.
However, the aircraft can also be used by sultans, governors, ministers, deputy ministers, foreign guests of the federal government, senior civil servants, and VIPs, subject to conditions and approval by the government.
Fiscal deficit reduction
Chua also chastised Nga for being unfair in using only the Fitch credit ratings as an example to attack the running of the government's administration.
"Why must you use only Fitch ratings and not Moody's and Standard & Poor's?" Chua asked.
"Moody's said that our credit ratings are positive while Standard and Poor's said we are stable so you should not look only at one," he said.
Chua added the government was committed to managing its finances, as proven through the reduction of fiscal deficit from 6.7 percent at the start of Najib Abdul Razak's term as prime minister in 2009 to 3.5 percent last year.
"And the fiscal deficit is expected to be at 3.2 percent by the end of the year," he said.
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