FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA STATEMENT
10 APRIL 2015
In a busy-bulldozing-of-bills’ week, the Malaysian government managed to get legislative approval allowing for the setup of Malaysia’s Aviation Commission. The bill, 95 pages in total, saw less than 3 hours of debate yet would cost the Malaysian taxpayer a total of RM90 million as initial seed funding.
This amount is all the more alarming when contrasted with the six thousand current MAS employees who will face the sack under the approved restructuring plan of the said company. Granted, all quarters agree with the need to salvage MAS’ financial losses – but the government’s move to spend through various new agencies and commissions without much detailing on its effectiveness and fruitful impact smacks of extreme irresponsibility.
Malaysia’s aviation history has been badly marked by the many tragedies affecting MAS: lost MAS plane MH370, shot MAS plane MH17; incompetence of the Department of Civil Aviation: direct tender choosing of controversial radar system software provider, Selex Systemi Integrati and radar failure incident in Subang terminal of 2012; and Malaysia Airport Holding Berhad (MAHB)’s lack of accountability concerns for the long standing issues affecting KLIA2’s runway and development (ICAO audit barely cleared airport for use: it met minimum requirements for safety to start operations as scheduled but with clear cut need for consistent redress and preventative maintenance).
As such, the government must immediately address concerns of ensuring the independence of the commission by selecting an Executive Chairman who is a committed professional with sufficient geo-technical background – lest we end up with another newly built runway with cracks before the six months completion time is up – like the KLIA2. No personalities previously involved with MAHB or the DCA or the Ministry of Transport should be helming the commission.
The Commission must report to Parliament for scrutiny and public safety; not the Prime Minister who is already tainted from his links to 1MDB as Chairman to its Board of Advisors.
Furthermore, previous appointments by the Prime Minister’s Office has proven to only further centralise responsibility and escape accountability. One only needs to relook the Malindo Airline launch by the Prime Minister on the 12th of September 2012 – a staggering five months prior to DCA’s awarding of aviation license to the said airline which only took place on the 28th February 2013.
Clearly, a Commission board controlled by and reports to the Prime Minister opens up another wormhole of conflicting interests; and is open to abuse. It is time the Malaysian government takes stock at what is at stake and immediately move to ensure that the newly created Aviation Commission lives up to expectations.
NURUL IZZAH ANWAR
LEMBAH PANTAI MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT
VICE PRESIDENT AND ELECTIONS DIRECTOR OF KEADILAN
