KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has hit back at critics questioning the cost and involvement of private companies during his recent overseas trips.
Anwar said he found it odd that his efforts to be transparent on the matter were met with criticism, which he described as reflective of the "jaman edan" (half-crazed) era, where those who are clean and transparent are criticised.
"They joined the delegation and paid their own expenses.
"Is that wrong? In this country, those who steal, embezzle, and rob are praised, but when we try to run programmes transparently, we are criticised.
"This is what is called the 'jaman edan'... half-crazed," he said during a townhall session marking the two-year anniversary of the Madani government at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).
On Friday, government spokesman Fahmi Fadzil said the government saved nearly RM1 million by chartering flights for the prime minister's recent visit to five countries in East Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
He said the government spent RM1.662 million, or 27 per cent of the total flight expenses for Anwar and his delegates, whereas the business delegation on the same flight covered 73 per cent of the cost amounting to RM4.5 million.
He said the business delegates paid for their own cost.
Anwar also said that the government does not focus on trivial statements, as he believes they do not contribute to nation-building
He said there were some quarters who questioned his decision not to receive the prime minister's salary.
"When I say I do not take a salary, I get ridiculed.
"I do not take a salary, except for the parliament allowances, we receive that, and Azizah (Bandar Tun Razak member of parliament Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail) also gets a parliamentary allowance, and we combine, it's okay. I am not poor."