GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Chief Minister has a new ride, courtesy of the state government, which has decided to replace his seven-year-old official car.
In a statement, state secretary Datuk Abdul Razak Jaafar said Chow Kon Yeow has been given a Mercedes S 560 e plug-in hybrid to replace his previous official car, a Mercedes S 300 L.
"He has been given a new official car today as replacement for his previous car bought in 2013 for RM298,263.
"The selenite grey car was bought on Dec 31 last year for RM458,000.
"The purchase was approved by the state executive council on Nov 29, 2019," he said today.
Abdul Razak said the state bought the car after being given a discount of RM127,765.
Earlier, Chow said the new car was a replacement for his previous official car.
In 2014, when then Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was given the Mercedes-Benz S 300 L as his official car, it was criticised by then Barisan Nasional politicians and DAP’s Pakatan Rakyat partners.
The car was obtained to replace Lim’s 18-year-old official car, a Mercedes-Benz S 320.
Lim was quoted as saying he was entitled to use two Mercedes-Benz models - S 400 and S 300 - but chose the S 300 L which was bought for RM298,263.75 after tax exemption and the discount.
“The car was bought because of the tax exemption as well as the discount, ” he said.
