The millions of ringgit saved should be used to help struggling Malaysians, say the Federation of Malaysia Consumers Association (Fomca) and Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP).

They said trips by the prime minister and other ministers to all parts of the world would cost taxpayers tens of millions of ringgit.

Fomca president N Marimuthu said visits to enhance bilateral ties and woo investors could be put on hold, and the prime minister and ministers could stay home to tackle the problem of rising prices.

“For a government which is less than a year old, the number of trips abroad by the prime minister and some of his ministers have been unusually high. The priority now is for them to be with the people in these difficult times,” he said.

Marimuthu said a prime minister’s entourage can number more than 20, while ministers are accompanied by about a dozen people.

“Everyone travels business class and their daily stipend and other claims can come up to hundreds of thousands of ringgit for each trip. These millions can be used to help the B40 Malaysians for now,” he said.

CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kadir said Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob had gone abroad 11 times since taking over in August last year. Others who have made overseas trips were international trade and industry minister Azmin Ali, plantation industries and commodities minister Zuraida Kamaruddin and human resources minister M Saravanan.

“It’s time for a moratorium on visits abroad until things are put right on the domestic front,” he told FMT.

He said checks showed that Ismail had visited the US, the UK, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia (twice), Brunei, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, and is currently in Turkiye for a four-day official visit.

It was reported that from June 2018 to October 2019, the government spent almost RM21 million to finance the official visits of then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad. No figures spent by Ismail or his ministers on trips abroad have been made available yet.