Dr M says 'YES', Najib says 'NO!'

Dr M says 'YES', Najib says 'NO!'

Former PM Tun Dr Mahathir had on Sunday suggested national carrier MAS be privatised to ensure its survival, profitability and ability to compete with others.

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today suggested that Malaysia Airlines (MAS) be privatised in an effort to revitalise the government-linked company, and consequently, overcome its losses at present.

The former Prime Minister said privatisation is a good step for MAS to generate big profits as when a company is government-owned, it faces constraints from the point of finance.

"MAS has been in operation for a long time and many initiatives have been undertaken to turn it around, but unsuccessfully.

"I believe privatisation is a good thing, as when the company is government owned, it has also less rights," he told reporters at his Hari Raya open house in Seri Kembangan, near here.

PM Najib Tun Razak who attended TDM's open house, surprisingly threw a horse-shoe at the suggestion, by announcing today that MAS will not be privatised.

PUTRAJAYA, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said today Malaysia Airlines (MAS) will not be privatised.

He said MAS will not be privatised as the national carrier's turnaround plan showed the total losses were shrinking.

Najib, who is also Finance Minister, said this to reporters when asked to comment on the suggestion by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad that MAS should be privatised.

Dr Mahathir had said privatising MAS was one of the ways to address the losses faced by the national carrier particularly after undergoing turnaround plans several times.

Earlier, Najib attended the Treasury's Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house.
The Prime Minister said MAS was a listed company controlled by Khazanah Nasional Bhd and functioned as a commercial entity based on good management principles.

"Although MAS has sustained losses but its turnaround plans were reaping results and the airline was showing a steady decline in losses," he said.

Both spoke different tune but it didn't carry any message about the 'rift' between them, as much speculated by the opposition.

Nah! No fallout, I am sure.

TDM, the 'master of privatisation' during his tenure - with the success story of Telekom and Tenaga Nasional, among few - may have a different perception about how MAS standing could be further elevated while Najib, with advisers like Idris Jala and a few more around him, sees it from another angle.

Ooohhh... Idris Jala!

It all started about a week ago when Idris, Minister in PM Dept said the airline should be sold when it fetches the right price, its last time 'high' was when he steered the GLC in the early 2000. Wonder if it was a smart statement after all.

However, I believe MAS needs a revamp at the top. From words around, I think its major problems lie in the management and finance. With proper re-adjustment and fine tuning, the national carrier will be able to fly higher again...