Updates at 11:15 pm on 18-7-2012: The above were the pictures that tell the whole story. The ball is now on AJ’s court to tell us who were responsible for giving up the MALCON-UNIFIL contract so as to enable AAX Sdn Bhd to take over.
Late 2006 Malaysia armed forces have been selected by the United Nations (UN) to be one of the peace keeping forces in Lebanon. YAB Dato’ Seri Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak, the Deputy PM when he then was, has announced on 28-12-2006, in HERE. The said selection was our nation’s pride.
A few officers in Malaysia Airlines (MAS) in the Hajj & Charter Division were instrumental in getting MAS registered as one of the air transport providers for the UN. Yours truly has been made to understand that MAS officers spent many months of their sweat and tears and money to get MAS registered as an air transport provider panel in the UN. From 2006 MAS was the registered UN air transport provider to transport our soldiers/peacekeeprs, supplies, merchandise and etc to Lebanon and back to Malaysia.
It was a very lucrative contract that worth about RM5 million per flight with a high profit margin. MAS has been the sole operator of MALCON (Malaysian Contingent) Flights for MINDEF and United Nations after the first MALCON flight departed 22nd January 2007. This contract is also a stepping stone for MAS to get into other UN movements involving third countries. MAS even carried Indonesian Peacekeepers to and from Beirut in December 2008. It is believed that MAS also carried Philippine Peacekeepers to and from Beirut.
Over almost five years MINDEF was happy with the seamless service delivery from MAS, UN Auditors also were very positive when they conduct flight surveillance during the MALCON Flights.
The Malaysian Ministry of Defence, MINDEF, has announced that it was extending Malaysia Airline’s contract from 2012 till 2014 to provide air transportation for the armed forces personnel of the Malaysian Contingent-United Nation Interim Force in Lebanon, MALCON-UNIFIL.
The Letter of Intent (LOI) was presented by the Secretary General of Ministry of Defence, Dato’ Sri Dr Haji Ismail bin Haji Ahmad to Malaysia Airlines’ Head of Hajj & Charter, Encik Hisham Haron, witnessed by the Minister of Defence, Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi, in HERE.
The last flight operated by MAS Hajj & Charter Division was nine months ago.
Yours truly has been reliably informed that last week, MALCON-UNIFIL left Malaysia on AirAsia aircraft for the first time. In view of the extension of the contract by MINDEF and MAS from 2012 to 2014, your truly is very surprised with this sudden development. It would appear that something very strange was happening for the sudden change from MAS to AirAsia being the carrier to transport MALCON-UNIFIL Peacekeepers when there was in existent a valid contract between MINDEF and MAS for the period between 2012 to 2014.
If this was true then it would appear that there was a conspiracy or an internal sabotage by certain high ranking officers in the Commercial Division and/or higher up during the MAS-Asia share “suap” otherwise MAS chartered aircraft will still be used in July 2012!
AJ and the Board of Directors of MAS are duty bound to explain the sudden change from MAS to AirAsia. For a start, AirAsia would need several months to get itself registered as air transport provider with the UN before it could operate such MALCON chartered flight. How could this happened?
Many questions have been posted in yours truly’s blog for AJ and Board of Directors of MAS to reply but they kept to their motto of “SILENCE IS GOLDEN”, in the hope all will be forgotten. For their benefit, please rest assured that it will not be forgotten. This matter will not rest here!
However, yours truly believes that MAS staffs will provide some insight to this in due course.
Hopefully AJ would break from his management style to provide answer to this serious matter where MAS has been said to be BLEEDING and at the same MAS was seen to be giving up handsome REVENUE by cutting lucrative routes like Bandung, Surubaya, Dubai, Sydney (additional flight) and others, re-timed its flights to Hong Kong and Beijing to suit other airline and now rejecting lucrative contract to transport MALCON-Unifil Peacekeepers for the benefits of another airline.
Please read HERE & HERE where AJ and/or the MAS Board of Directors chose to avoid the issues raised herein.
