Yahoo! News Singapore, 19 Nov 2013
KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 — Minister Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim today sought to fend off allegations of excess in Putrajaya’s use of private jets, claiming it would cost more to follow Singapore’s choice to charter flights for government leaders.
Saying that Pakatan Rakyat lawmakers were misguided in praising Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong for choosing travel on a commercial airliner on his way to a recent summit, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said the flight was chartered and could not be considered commercial.
“They say the Singapore PM uses a commercial flight; that’s not true. If you look at the summit at the airport you see his plane parked with the rest. That means he chartered the plane and not fly on a commercial flight like what is claimed.
“To charter the plane is more expensive than to use your own plane,” he told a press conference in Parliament here. Full story
