PM and DPM's electricity bill enough to light a house for 100 years

Subject: 'PM and DPM's electricity bill enough to light a house for 100 years'

KUALA LUMPUR - Following details revealed in parliament about the high cost of maintaining the prime minister and his deputy's official residences, Rasah member of parliament Anthony Loke (pic) has done some maths to show what the sum means.

“The government paid RM160,000 for electricity and RM33,000 for water bill monthly for the official residences of prime minister and deputy prime minister.

"This is enough to pay my electricity bill for 100 years and water for 6,000 people,” he told a press conference at the parliament yesterday.

In a written reply to PAS's Rantau Panjang MP Siti Zailah Yusof, the government said some RM49 million was forked out annually to maintain the official residences now occupied by Najib Razak and Muhyiddin Yasin between 2006 and 2010.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Nazri Aziz said the cost to maintain the duo's homes came to RM48,789,115.03, covering rent, renovations, electricity and water.

Giving a breakdown of the yearly costs, Nazri revealed that the rental for both buildings came to RM32,972,115.55, renovations RM3,581,744.78, electricity RM10,267,868.15 and water RM1,967,386.55.

The amount comes to an average of RM18,000 a day for the rental alone, paid by the government to Perbadanan Putrajaya.

Kota Raja MP Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud urged the government to justify the high cost of upkeeping the houses, saying it was ironic that such huge amount was spent to maintain the two houses when the government kept telling Malaysians to change their lifestyle in coping with rising prices of essential goods.

"When it comes to educating the public about savings, it should start with the leaders," she told reporters at the same press conference.


- Harakahdaily