Defence Minister arrives on military plane to break fast with personnel

Mohamad (left) chatting with RMAF personnel during the break fast meal at the RMAF base in Butterworth. — MUSTAFA AHMAD/The Star

WHILE Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim returned to Penang on an AirAsia flight recently, the Defence Minister came back on a much more macho ride.

Mohamad Sabu -- also a Penang boy -- flew in a military aircraft, the four-engine Airbus A400M.

His hometown is Tasek Gelugor.

“I lived not far away from this air base and I grew up listening to jet planes flying in and out.

“My flight on the military plane was so smooth even though the clouds were quite thick,” he told reporters after landing at the Royal Malaysian Air Force base in Butterworth on Saturday.

“The military plane can match a commercial aircraft but the seating arrangements are different.

“It has jump seats because we need to be ready to jump anytime,” he quipped.

Mohamad, also known as Mat Sabu, broke fast with the base personnel after a meeting with the officers.

He was accompanied by his wife Normah Alwi and joined by Armed Forces chief Jen Tan Sri Raja Mohamed Affandi Raja Mohamed Noor, Defence Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Abdul Rahim Mohamad Radzi and RMAF chief Jen Tan Sri Affendi Buang.

Also present were Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar and Permatang Pasir assemblyman Faiz Fadzil.