By Capt Kamil Abu Bakar
I refer to the above news article, entitled Khazanah is party to Malaysia Airlines’ failures that was published on Focus Malaysia on Dec 2, 2020.
Pardon me for being naive but who is National Union of Flight Attendants Malaysia (Nufam)?
Who are they representing? Can somebody please explain it to me?
To the best of my knowledge, Malaysia Airlines Flight Attendants, called cabin crew, are members of the Malaysia Airline System Employees Union (MASEU).
They cannot be members of any other union.
AirAsia, AirAsia X and Malindo Air do not have employees union. Raya Airways does not carry flight attendants on their aircraft.
What l know though, one of the most vocal spokesman of Nufam was a former (disgruntled) employee of the airline.
And we all know for a fact that a disgruntled person will not speak well of his organisation.
Having said that, having dealt with MASEU and Malaysia Airlines Pilots’ Association (MAPA) before, without being personal, l can say that the bodies are only good in looking after their own interest.”
Other than that, they are a nuisance to the organisation with their uncalled for and unnecessary demands for “perks”. At one time, they literally held the company to ransom.
And their leaders were only good at talking. They were lousy workers and unproductive.
Now coming to the article. It is okay to speak but why on condition of anonymity? If you feel strongly about anything, speak up and be accountable for what you say.
Do not throw stones and hide your hands. That’s not being brave. Criticisms, like tax and death, are part and parcel of life.
It is easy to blame other people. It is convenient to blame Khazanah Nasional Bhd for MAB’s woes but let us look at the bigger picture:
The major cause for MAB’s downfall are due to:
- competition from low-cost carriers
- entry of mega carriers
- rise in fuel prices
Other contributory factors include weak management, bad work culture, external interference, unnecessary demands from unions and pilots’ association and of course, leakages.
Frankly speaking, even if Khazanah were to sell-off MAB to West Star, Najah Air or the group of MAB employees, they too will fail with those challenges.
And I am certain that these bidders are happy that they did not succeed to get MAB. Otherwise, they will end up only having their undergarments!
And on complaints about the six A380 planes purchased, let me say that a study was conducted at the time and it spelled out the need for the aircraft.
Besides, Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Thai Airways purchased them too. Emirates and Etihad acquired hundreds of them.
But then, market demand changed. Anybody can be wise with the benefit of hindsight. So where do we go from here?
For arguments sake, let us consider several options.
One is to shut down MAB. Okay, good!
So where will its 12,000 employees go after losing their jobs? Multiply that by four dependents each. I safely say about 48,000 people are going to become victims.
And I have not included employees of businesses linked to the airline industry, which means hundreds of thousands will be affected.
Another option is to sell-off MAB to AirAsia. Then again, will people accept MAB becoming a low-cost carrier?
That will be a problem as our political leaders and royalties may not be too keen on walking up or down the aircraft steps under the hot sun or rain. Will they even sit in a cramped cabin?
Will the fares still be cheap? Not necessarily. With monopoly, they can control and dictate prices at will.
Of course, Malindo can provide the competition but majority of the former’s shares are owned by foreign entities.
Granted, AirAsia can open up a full service like Batik of Lion Air Indonesia but still, they will hold the monopoly.
With profits being their main agenda, they will cease operating from unprofitable routes. So, the public will suffer eventually.
People must realise that with Khazanah subsiding MAB, the public have benefitted in some ways but I agree that the current scheme may not be sustainable.
The COVID-19 pandemic, while it has caused much problems to our economy, it has also given us some opportunities.
Let us explore them.
Firstly, MAB can start all over again, with a no-nonsense management led by those with high integrity.
The national airliner should also embrace new work culture, with a lean but highly productive workforce that is very conscious on keeping costs low.
Start by focusing on domestic operations first and once things get better, expand to major Asean cities and key international destinations.
We can also find ways to use the A380 airliners, such as for umrah and Hajj pilgrimages when the pandemic comes under control.
Plus, we must not allow any outside interference from anyone, plug leakages and boot out those who engage in corrupt practices.
And we also can be rid of these union and pilots’ associations, stop upgrading seats from Economy to Business class ( which was rampant in the past) and ensure contracts are not lopsided. – Dec 5, 2020.
Capt Kamil Abu Bakar is the former director of flight operations, Malaysia Airlines System and senior vice president Malaysia Airlines Academy
The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Focus Malaysia.
