Muhyiddin's era as PM recorded highest car maintenance cost - Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR - During the premiership of the eighth prime minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in 2020, the government was faced with a high cost for the maintenance and repairs of ministerial vehicles which cost RM672,000.

This number was the highest during Muhyddin's tenure as compared to the maintenance costs in 2021 (RM478,991.50) and 2020 (RM450,690.66), said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Anwar, who is also the finance minister, said the total amount for maintenance paid from 2020 to 2020 was RM1,601,682.16.

"Federal ministers were supplied with the official vehicle (KRJ) Toyota Vellfire 2.5L models starting on April 2021 to replace the discontinued Proton Perdana 2.4L.

"The government pays the monthly rental cost, consisting of the maintenance and repair costs for each KRJ," he said in a written reply to the Dewan Rakyat meeting, here.

The Tambun member of parliament (MP) was responding to Chong Zhemin (PH-Kampar) MP, who asked him to detail out the total maintenance cost of all ministerial vehicles from 2020 to 2022.

Muhyiddin was sworn in as prime minister on March 1, 2020, after gaining the support of a majority of MPs after the Pakatan Harapan government collapsed due to a political crisis from the Sheraton Move.

Muhyiddin’s Cabinet consisted of 32 ministers and 38 deputy ministers before the mixed government led by Bersatu was dissolved on Aug 16, 2021.

This is when the Pagoh MP and his Cabinet resigned following the loss of the majority of support from MPs.

Bera MP Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob from Umno was appointed as the ninth prime minister on Aug 21, 2021, but the coalition government led by him lasted for 11 months before the Parliament was dissolved on Oct 10, 2022, to pave the way for the 15th General Election (GE15).