THE appointment of a new president and group chief executive (PGCE) for Prasarana Malaysia Bhd has reached a stand-off as decision-makers have yet to settle on a name, sources tell FocusM.
It is understood that three names are on the table to lead the national public transport operator: former Prasarana managing director and Mass Rapid Transport Corp Sdn Bhd CEO Shahril Mokhtar, former Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) CEO Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin and former Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd CEO Zohari Sulaiman.
A source said the announcement of the new PCGE had been delayed due to the inability of “higher-ups” to settle on a candidate. At the time of writing, Shahril and Mohd Rani are frontrunners.
KTMB and Prasarana are wholly owned by the Ministry of Finance (MoF). Prasarana manages the intra-city rail lines, MRT, LRT and the monorail, as well as feeder bus systems. It also operates the Penang ferry operations through its subsidiary Rapid Ferry Sdn Bhd. KTMB, on the other hand, is the main railway operator in the peninsula.
The post was left vacant after the abrupt departure of Mohamed Hazlan Mohamed Hussain in January following mounting public complaints about the inefficiency of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) services.
Aside from efficiency, the new CEO is expected to be someone who chairman Tajuddin Abdul Rahman is comfortable working with. But there is also a political dimension that needs to be considered as Tajuddin is Pasir Salak MP and an Umno strongman.
According to Prasarana’s latest company filing, the company’s net loss doubled to RM5.15 bil for the financial year ended Dec 31, 2018, while revenue dropped 12% year-on-year to RM746.09 mil.
The company’s total assets stood at RM4.53 bil and total liabilities at RM35 bil. – June 24, 2020
