NAJIB: Keep space programme option open

PUTRAJAYA, TUES:

The government has not made a decision to shelve the country’s space programme though no funds are available for the second mission at the moment, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today.

The Deputy Prime Minister said the government was keeping the option open pending completion of the cost-benefit analysis for the second mission.

He said the government had other options including continuing with the space training now and proceed with the second mission later if the programme was facing financial constraint.

Speaking to reporters after receiving eight Indonesian members of parliament at his office, Najib, who is also Defence Minister, said he liked Malaysia’s second astronaut Mej Dr Faiz Khaleed to continue with the space training.

Najib was asked to comment on news reports on the prospect of the space programme being scrapped as there was no money.

Russian Space Agency (Roskosmos) had offered to bring another Malaysian astronaut on a space mission in either 2010 or 2011 and Malaysia had decided on Dr Faiz as the candidate for the second mission.

In the first mission, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Sheikh Mustapha spent 11 days in space conducting scientific experiments at the International Space Station before returning to Earth on Oct 21 last year.

On another matter, Najib, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) Chief Whip in the Dewan Rakyat, said BN members of parliament, who skipped Dewan Rakyat sittings without valid reasons, may not be considered to contest in the next general election.

Such action can be taken against BN backbenchers besides issuing warning, said Najib, adding that it has been the BN’s practice to encourage backbenchers to attend the sessions.

To a question, Najib said it was not compulsory for BN MPs to submit questions although they were encouraged to do so.

“Furthermore, only 12 questions are normally answered each day and the Dewan Rakyat usually had more than enough questions for the allocated question-and- answer session, he added.