MAS Board is answerable for the change of MAS livery

There is MAS Board meeting this morning at 10:00 am. Hopefully the Board will be transparent and provide answers to the questions posed for the past week which are still unanswered. Looking at the budget for Marketing and Promotions budget stands at about RM560 million for 2012, the cost of designing and re-branding may be several million Ringgit was a small figure.

But the issues are serious as MAS is no ordinary GLC but an institution of the nation. MAS is a national carrier. It was set up by the government and its funding came from the rakyat. Therefore, the changing of logo/livery and re-branding of MAS had to be approved by the Board and the Cabinet before it is implemented.

Now we know the two companies involved in the designing and re-branding projects are Ogilvy & Mather and Landor Associates. The said project was commissioned in the early part of this year when the MAS-AirAsia share “suap’ was in tact and received the full backing of the little Napoleon in Khazanah.

Therefore, Board is duty bound to get to the bottom of this and provide answers to the questions posed below:

1. When was the decision made to change the livery of MAS to pale blue?
2. Who made the said decision to change the livery?
3. Was MAS Board consulted before proceeding to change the livery?
4. Did MAS obtain approval from the Cabinet for the change of the livery?
5. Who appointed the designing company for the job?
6. Was there an open tender for the appointment of the designing and re-branding company?
7. What was the total cost of the said designing and re-branding work for the new livery?

The logo/livery of MAS is just like our national flag which cannot be changed by the whim and fancy of a few people. If the change of livery was commissioned without the approval of the Board and/or the Cabinet then actions had to be taken against the culprits regardless of whether the person responsible is still in MAS or not. They must be made personally liable as it was an unauthorized act. Furthermore, such spending was totally unnecessary at the time when MAS is BLEEDING!

Silence on the part of the top management of MAS including the Board of Directors is not an option.

For related articles please read HERE & HERE.