During the Committee Stage of the Budget Debate today, many MPs of all divides spoke strongly against the secret MAS – Asia share swap.

YB Hajah Nancy bt Hj Shukri (MP for Batang Sadong, Sarawak), YB Datuk Hj Muhamad bin Hj Aziz (MP for Sri Gading, Johor), Datuk Bung Moktar (MP for Kinabatagan, Sabah), YB Datuk Wira Hj Ahmad bin Hj Hamzah (MP for Jasin, Melaka), YB Datuk Dr Makin @ Marcus Majigoh (MP for Putatan, Sabah) yours truly and other MPS questioned the rationale and condemned the said secret share swap, the so-called “Collaborative Frameworks” and Tan Sri Tony Fernandes’ instance of his AirAsia outfits would not use the aerobridge in the new KLIA-2.

Questions were asked why AirAsia did not object to the use of aerobridge in the airports in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Singapore, Australia, London and etc. MPs insisted that the Ministry of Transport should impose regulations that make it compulsory for all airlines in KLIA-2 to use aerobridge for the convenience of the elders, pregnant ladies, children and disabled.

YB Kinabatangan has gone further to describe the culprits who cheat the the rakyat  as “Perompak Negara”.

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, MD of Khazanah Nasional Bhd, En Mohammed Rashdan Yusof, Tan Sri MD Nor Md Yusof and Datuk Azman Yahya  were not spared by the MPs.  YB Kinabatangan also called for MACC to investigate into this matter and sent those responsible to jail.

Yours truly demanded the Deputy Minister of Transport, YB Datuk Rahim, to explain three pertinent questions:

1. How could the Department of Aviation (DCA) approve the Air Operation Certificate (AOC) to Fly Asian Express Sdn Bhd aka FAX within two months of its incorporation (incorporation date 19-5-2006)?

2. After having discovered that six aircraft were grounded due to un-airworthiness  and one aircraft was cannibalised for spare parts, why DCA did not withdraw the AOC from FAX?

3. When FAX changed its name to AirAsia X Sdn Bhd at the end of 2007 and under such circumstances how could the Ministry of Transport granted 32 international routes to AirAsia X Sdn Bhd to compete with MAS and it only operate 16 routes and thereafter terminated 3 operating only 13 routes?

The Deputy Minister of Transport did not answer these three questions. Yours truly also asked the Ministry of Transport to immediately withdraw all the routes that have not been operated by AirAsia X Sdn Bhd. Yours truly will definitely pursue further until answers are given.

In respond to the Deputy Minister stating that MAS was making huge losses, yours truly informed Parliament that when Tan Sri Aziz Abdul Rahman was the MD of MAS, MAS not only able to make profits but managed to keep a sinking totaling RM2 billions. Further, your truly informed Parliament that the problems were not solely about management. It was about LEAKAGES. As long as LEAKAGES were not plugged, replacement of MD and management team will not be able to address the problems in MAS. One of the classic example of the leakages was Alwafeer Air. MAS management went ahead to sign the lease agreement with Alwafeer Air to lease three aircraft against the advice of professionals in MAS and no due diligence was carried out.  Alwafeer Air did not have the Air Operation Certificate when the lease agreements were executed.

Yours truly also informed Parliament that the losses sustained in the Alwafeer Air was more than RM60 million.  In fact, it could be more than RM150 millions. Further, the Alwafeer Air matter has also caused problems to the air hostesses and the captains whose salaries have not paid for many months. Some of the air hostesses, had no alternative but to work “PART TIME” at night. Yours truly used a stronger word than this in Parliament. Yours truly asked the Ministry of Transport to investigate into these problems and provide immediate helps to the air hostesses and captains.  

The said Deputy Minister of Transport could not provide satisfactory answers to the points raised by all the MPS.  Yours truly is certain that this secret share swap will not end here unless the Government intervened to stop it.