KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 – Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat’s last request to use a jet owned by a company linked to the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project was refused because he was deemed to have been a freeloader.
Ong had yesterday admitted to using private jets owned by Wijaya Baru Aviation, an associate company of Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB), the main developer of PKFZ.
On the issue of payment for the services, the Transport Minister claimed to have been “still waiting for the invoices” for the flights to be sent to his office.
KDSB deputy CEO Datuk Faizal Abdullah said today, however, that the issue of invoices was a non-starter since the jets are not authorised for commercial charter use and, therefore, the flights could not be billed.
He claims that Ong had “borrowed” the jets but on the understanding that costs such as fuel and landing charges would be “reimbursed”.
He added that Ong had asked for, and been granted, the use of Wijaya Baru’s planes on four occasions but, after costs were not reimbursed, the transport minister’s fifth request to use a jet again on April 24 was turned down.
“We told him that the plane was not available,” Faizal told reporters today at a press conference.
“When you borrow a plane, it is not like borrowing a car. He doesn’t even want to ask (how much to reimburse us for). It’s not the money that is a big deal. It is the attitude.
“If he doesn’t want to pay up, it is up to him. But why does he want a bill? How (are we) to give a bill when we are not doing a business?” he said, adding, “Don’t take people’s kindness for granted.”
Asked about the costs to make a trip on a private jet, Faizal replied that it was between RM10,500 to RM17,500 per hour, excluding landing charges and crew allowances.
He estimated that the total cost for the four trips made by Ong amounted to between RM105,000 and RM140,000.
He also confirmed that there were other politicians, including from MCA, who had used Wijaya Baru jets but stressed that Ong was the only one who had not paid.
The requests to “borrow” the jets had apparently come from Ong’s “officers”.
“We said ‘if you want to use, you can use but you have to pay the costs’,” said Faizal who pointed out that the jets used by Ong did not have the FAA part 135 certification, issued by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States, that would allow them to be used for commercial charters.
Faizal, who is also Group Deputy CEO of Wijaya Global Baru, the group to which both Wijaya Baru Aviation and KDSB belong, said that Wijaya Baru Aviation was applying for the FAA part 135 certificate in order to be able to offer commercial charters in the future.
Details provided by Faizal show that Ong used Wijaya Baru Aviation’s private jets on the following occasions: February 19, from Subang to Johor Baru at 7.55am on a Gulfstream 450, returning 10.30pm; March 7, from Subang to Kuantan at noon on a Learjet 60, returning 10pm; March 24, from Subang to Johor Baru at noon on a Learjet 60, returning 10pm April 20; from Subang to Johor Baru at 5.30pm on a Gulfstream 450, returning 11pm.
Ong’s request for a Learjet 60 to fly from Subang to Kuantan and back on April 24 was rejected.
Ong had also flown from Kuching to Kuala Lumpur after an official function on a Wijaya jet on March 12, but it was upon invitation by Wijaya as there were “no other attractive flight options”.
Ong told reporters today that he had “hired” the jets and that the “onus is on them (Wijaya)” to bill him for the services.
He added that he would normally take commercial flights and would resort to private jets “only in dire need and as a last resort” as in cases of emergency and when there were no direct air links.
He also said that he has used other “service providers” besides Wijaya.
When asked by reporters why he did not avoid using Wijaya so as not to give an impression of conflict of interest as KDSB was under investigation by his ministry, Ong replied that he believed in the principle that “everyone is innocent until proven otherwise.”
The government’s General Orders, however, does not allow him to use services which are more expensive than what Malaysia Airlines offers.
Apart from having to explain why he was using private jets owned by a company which is linked to KDSB, Ong had to also deny allegations that he had received a RM10 million donation last year from KDSB CEO Datuk Seri Tiong King Sing.-MalaysiaInsider
