KUALA LUMPUR, March 17 — A PKR lawmaker today demanded an explanation on why Malaysia had chosen to send a team consisting mainly of politicians to Antarctica to study climate change.
In January, the chief minister of Terengganu Datuk Seri Ahmad Said led a seven-strong delegation to Antarctica. Only one person on the 15-day trip which cost RM 846,238 was a scientist.
The trip was organised to strengthen research co-operation between Malaysia and Chile on the Antarctica.
“(I)s this a research trip or a tourism visit? He is not the Science and Technology minister. He has no business there,” the Bayan Baru MP Sim Tze Tzin said of the Terengganu chief minister.
“I don’t quite understand what is the relation between a tropical country that is burning hot every day and a climate change research in Antarctica,” Sim added.
Sim said he did not oppose any governmental scientific research but that Putrajaya must explain how the Antarctica trip could benefit climate change issues in Malaysia.
“What I know is the way to address climate change here is the government must reduce the use of fossil fuel.”
He said failing to do so meant taxpayers’ money had been wasted amid concerns over the government’s ballooning debt.
