| Nazri: Govt Will Not Spend RM800 on New Parliament Building |  |  |
| KUALA LUMPUR, 16 JUNE, 2010: Minister in the Prime Minister Department, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said today that the government will not spend RM800 million on a new Parliament building but is considering either to renovate the existing building or to take over Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). He said, to renovate the existing parliament building, the government will need to spend about RM150 million plus another RM50 million for temporary measure. According to Nazri, the extra RM50 million is the cost estimated by Public Works Department (PWD) for having to temporarily hold parliament sittings elsewhere during the reconstruction period. “The Cabinet feels that to spend RM50 million on something temporary is also unacceptable. So some cabinet members suggested that we take over PICC as it is underutilized and to spend money on it since this would be permanent,” Nazri told reporters at the parliament lobby today. He added that the cabinet is waiting for a report from PWD and that they would stick to the renovation plan if they are not agreeable to the estimated cost for occupying PICC. The project, according to Nazri, would take about two to three years to complete. Earlier, he met representatives from Federation Malay Students’ Union (GPMS) at the Parliament lobby. GPMS, represented by its president Jais Abdul Karim, was demanding for the government to retract its decision to reduce the allocation of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships for students studying abroad. “GPMS demands for the government to study its decision as it is not relevant and not suitable with the government’s policy to make Malaysia a developed country,” said Jais. Jais also calls for the JPA scholarships to be given according to quota where 66 percent should be awarded to the Malays and Bumiputera. |
