Shahidan Kassim ditanya bertalu2,sapa bayaq bila Rosmah guna jet rasmi gomen...

Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Shahidan Kassim disoal di Parlimen hari ini tentang mengapa kerajaan membenarkan isteri Perdana Menteri,Rosmah Mansor menggunakan sebuah jet eksekutif kerajaan untuk perjalanan ke Qatar awal bulan ini.

Ahli2 Parlimen pembangkang bertanya sama ada Rosmah telah diberikan keistimewaan mengikut peraturan kerajaan?

Shahidan menjawab: "Lawatan itu telah diluluskan oleh kabinet, yang bersetuju bahawa lawatan itu adalah penting, dan dibenarkan untuk penggunaan jet."

Pada ketika itu, Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) bangun untuk mengingatkan bahawa Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak mempengerusikan mesyuarat kabinet dan ia adalah menjadi satu percanggahan kepentingan untuk dia meluluskan keggunaan jet untuk isterinya.

"Adakah perdana menteri meninggalkan bilik sebelum keputusan dibuat untuk kelulusan?" tanya Azmin.

Hanipa Maidin (PAS-Sepang) pula berdiri dan mengatakan Perdana Menteri boleh didakwa di mahkamah jika dia tidak mengikut prosedur dalam membuat keputusan mengenai perkara itu kerana ia mempunyai konflik kepentingan.

Walau bagaimanapun, Shahidan enggan mengatakan sama ada Perdana Menteri terlibat dalam membuat keputusan, sambil menegaskan bahawa ia adalah satu lawatan rasmi.

"Isterinya mewakili negara, untuk kepentingan rakyat," katanya.jawab Shahidan.

Jawapan itu membuat Mahfuz Omar PAS-Pokok Sena, mempersoalkan sama ada seorang isteri Perdana Menteri dibenarkan untuk mewakili negara dalam hal2 berkaitan dengan hubungan dua hala.

"Ia adalah OK untuk isteri mengiringi Perdana Menteri tetapi untuk mewakili negara adalah sesuatu yang anih dan tidak berlaku di mana-mana di dunia ini," kata Mahfuz.

Jawapan lintang pukang

Shahidan,kemudian cuba untuk respon terhadap beberapa soalan yang dibangkitkan tetapi siri jawapannya banyak mengelirukan.

Menggunakan dirinya sebagai contoh, Shahidan berkata beliau akan mewakili Malaysia dalam satu persidangan di Ankara, Turki tidak lama lagi.

Pada ketika ini, beberapa Ahli Parlimen berdiri dan berkata: "Anda adalah seorang menteri, sudah tentu anda boleh mewakili Malaysia, tetapi bukan isteri anda".

Shahidan kemudiannya menggunakan contoh Ahli Parlimen yang juga dibenarkan untuk mewakili Malaysia di luar negara, Ahli2 Parlimen Pembangkang sekali lagi menegaskan bahawa mereka mewakili Parlimen dan bukan isteri-isteri mereka.

Menteri itu yang jelas kelihatan marah dan dia akhirnya berkata bahawa lawatan itu lawatan rasmi dan enggan melayan pertanyaan lagi.

Rosmah pada 10 November lalu hadir ke Qatar untuk Forum Ahli Perniagaan Wanita Antarabangsa Qatar ke-4.

Forum dianjurkan oleh Persatuan Usahawan Wanita Qatar dan Rangkaian Perniagaan Interaktif, forum dua hari itu dihadiri oleh Menteri Tenaga dan Industri Qatar,Dr Mohammed Saleh Al Sada.

Delegasi Malaysia termasuk Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, yang juga penasihat khas kepada Perdana Menteri dan usahawan wanita dan profesional; Datin Seri Siti Rubiah Datuk Abdul Samad, isteri Menteri Luar Datuk Seri Anifah Aman; Datin Seri Khamarzan Ahmad Meah, isteri Menteri Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan Industri Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed dan Datin Seri Che Kamariah Zakaria, isteri Menteri Pelajaran Kedua, Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh.

Awal bulan ini, Parlimen diberitahu, jet yang digunakan kerajaan menelan belanja sebanyak RM14.95 juta untuk belanja petrol dan RM160.08 juta untuk penyelenggaraan.

Setiap penerbangan dilaporkan menelan belanja kira-kira RM470,000.

Minister grilled over jet ride for Rosmah paid by gov't...

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Shahidan Kassim was grilled in Parliament today as to why the government paid for prime minister's wife Rosmah Mansor's use of an executive jet for a trip to Qatar earlier this month.

Opposition MPs asked whether Rosmah was allowed such privileges according to government rules, to which Shahidan (right) replied: "The trip was approved by the cabinet, which agreed that the trip was important, and allowed for the use of the jet."

At this, Azmin Ali (PKR-Gombak) stood up to point out that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak chaired the cabinet meeting and it was a conflict of interest for him to approve a jet ride for his wife.

"Did the prime minister leave the room before a decision was made for the approval?" Azman demanded to know.

The led Hanipa Maidin (PAS-Sepang) to stand up and say the prime minister could be charged in court if he did not follow procedures in deciding on a matter that has conflict of interest.

However, Shahidan refused to say whether the prime minister was involved in the decision-making, insisting that it was an official trip.

"His wife was representing the country, for the interest of the people," he said.

The response opened another cans of worms as Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena, right)) questioned whether a prime minister wife is allowed to represent the country on bilateral ties.

"It is okay for the wife to accompany the prime minister but to represent the country is an anomaly and does not happen anywhere else in the world," Mahfuz said.

Fumbling answers

Shahidan then attempted to respond but provided a series of confusing answers.

Using himself as example, Shahidan said that even he would be representing Malaysia in a conference in Ankara, Turkey soon.

At this, several MPs stood up and responded: "You are a minister, of course you can represent Malaysia, but not your wife".

Shahidan then used an example of MPs too being allowed to represent Malaysia overseas, as opposition MPs again pointed out that they represented Parliament and not their wives.

The minister who was visibly annoyed and he finally said that the trip was an official one and refused to say anymore.

Rosmah went to Qatar by jet on Nov 10, for the 4th Qatar International Businesswomen's Forum.

'Why Najib not supporting MAS'

Earlier, Anthony Loke (DAP-Seremban) also hit out at Najib for his penchant for executive jets and for not using the national carrier Malaysia Airlines for his official trips.

"How can the government expect the rakyat to support Malaysia Airlines when the head of government himself will not support the national carrier?" Loke (right) asked.

Even Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, he said, travelled on Singapore Airlines.

However, Shahidan claimed that relying on commercial flights, especially for last minute trips, could sometimes be more costly than using executive jets.

"It is not logical to expect the prime minister to follow commercial flight schedules. Using jets is his privilege," he said.

Earlier this month, the government had revealed to Parliament that the use of jets by the government had cost RM14.95 million for fuel and RM160.08 million on maintenance, with a single flight costing around RM470,000.-malaysiakini

Berita yang menggembirakan mereka yang mengundi BN/UMNO...

cheers.