THERE is a directive from the Federal Government that all state governments should buy and use the Proton Perdana V6 as the official car to support the national car industry.

So, deviating from such a directive is a show of non-compliance and open defiance of Federal Government policy.

Not only has Terengganu chosen the Mercedes Benz car as the preferred official car for the state, the Penang government also placed a sizeable order for these cars before the March 8 elections.

Perhaps there are orders also for Mercedes Benz cars from other state governments that the rakyat has no idea about.

The Terengganu menteri besar has given the excuse that Proton cars often break down and are more costly to service or repair.
This statement may jeopardise future sales of the Proton Perdana V6 and other models in the range.

On the contrary, it is common knowledge that it is rather expensive to service and repair a Mercedes Benz, even if it breaks down rarely.

RM3.4 million is a lot of money, particularly in Terengganu where there are many people living in poverty.

And where did they get the money to buy these Mercedes vehicles?

It must be taxpayers' money. Yes, though it did not come from oil royalty, it is still wasteful spending of taxpayers' money.

They could have put the money to better use for the benefit of a lot more people than just their executive councillors and senior government officers.