DAP loses cool over MB’s cruise to Antarctica

The DAP today questioned the purpose of Terengganu Menteri Besar Ahmad Said’s 15-day visit to Antarctica beginning tomorrow, asking how the trip could benefit Malaysia, let alone Terengganu.

“What business does the Terengganu Menteri Besar have in Antarctica which justifies a jolly cruise to the Antartica?” asked DAP’s publicity secretary Tony Pua in a statement.

Ahmad Said had announced that he will lead a Malaysian delegation’s 15-day visit to Antarctica beginning Saturday.

A statement from the Menteri Besar’s Office said the working visit “is initiated towards enabling Malaysia contribute to research on climate change which has become increasingly unpredictable.”

However Pua wanted to know how the “15-day jolly luxury cruise” was going to benefit Malaysia.

“If Malaysia has scientists involved in climate change, they would be better served studying the impact of climate change through massive deforestation happening in our country.

“Why should we be spending any tax-payers money at all to “research” an area where we have no competitive advantage?” he asked.

He further said that even of local academics were interested in the study of climate change in Antarctica, why should the MB be given a “beautiful tour of faraway Antarctica at tax-payers expense”?

“Even worse, he isn’t even the country’s minister of Science and Technology, or the minister of Natural Resources and Environment.

“He is the Menteri Besar of a state who has no business gallivanting in the unpopulated South Pole,” added Pua.

He said the MB had no excuse to go to the land of penguins in Antarctica on claims that it was for a trade mission to draw foreign investment or to attract tourists.

Pua said a conservative estimate of the tour for a delegation of 20 people would cost the state about RM1 million without taking into account other side tours and expenses.

“Ahmad has no right to abuse the rakyat’s money on such extravagant junket trips when Terengganu remains the poorest state in Peninsula Malaysia after Perlis and Kelantan.

Pua added that Ahmad must give a full account of the expenses of the trip and provide a full report on its benefits to Malaysia, and particularly to the state of Terengganu. -FMT