KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 12 — Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah today said the decision to acquire Mercedes-Benz cars for high-ranking officials was out of necessity.

Utusan Malaysia quoted Mohd Amar as saying the rationale for buying the cars was that the maintenance cost for the vehicle was lower than other marques.

According to Mohd Amar, so far only one Mercedes-Benz had been acquired for state secretary, Datuk Nazran Muhammad.

"We bought this car as the existing car had exceeded its lifespan.

"According to the rules, we can acquire cars after five years but the lifespan of some cars has reached 10 years.

"Buying a Mercedes car is a non-issue because during the late Datuk Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat’s administration, we had already bought such cars.

"We buy according to our capacity and not all cars have been changed. The maintenance cost is cheaper than other brands such as Toyota and Honda,” Mohd Amar was quoted as saying.

State Pakatan Harapan chairman, Husam Musa, yesterday alleged that the PAS-led government had acquired a Mercedes-Benz for one of its high-ranking officials.

According to Husam, the acquisition raised concerns as the state coffers were not healthy.