The loss of a great aviation leader

By Doreenn Leong

IT seems like a coincidence that Malaysia Airlines Bhd (MAB) former managing director Tan Sri Dr Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman died on Jan 22.

His demise came at a time when MAB is at a crucial crossroads. Its shareholder Khazanah Nasional Bhd has to decide the fate of the beleaguered airline. Will it be bailed out, sold or closed down? So far, Khazanah has received four strategic proposals for MAB but one of the parties has stated that it was no longer pursuing it.

While the fate of the national carrier hangs in the balance, Abdul Aziz, a well-respected icon in the aviation industry met his fate,  losing his battle with esophageal cancer. He was 87.

“Tan Sri Aziz led MAS to great heights. During his time, MAS had its glory days and expanded its network worldwide. He was a good leader and very pleasant to work with,” former Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd CEO/MD Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad tells FocusM.

Bashir joined the aviation industry in 1972 as a management trainee in the then newly formed Malaysia Airlines. He worked in the national flag-carrier for 29 years in various management positions. 

During his tenure at Malaysia Airlines, Bashir was directly involved in air services negotiations from 1978 to 2001, a period of 23 years. In 2001, Bashir joined the government as aviation adviser to the Ministry of Transport. 

In 2003, he joined MAHB where he served as CEO for 11 years until 2014 and then as adviser to the board for three years until 2017. 

“We worked with confidence, knowing he (Aziz) was always there to support and guide us. I used to accompany him for IATA meetings and traffic rights negotiations and I learnt a lot from him on dealing with international organisations and on negotiation skills. 

“He was soft spoken and very diplomatic and was well respected in the international aviation community,” Bashir adds.

Abdul Aziz was the first managing director of Malaysian Airline System or MAS (as MAB was then known). He was in government service for 15 years before he was asked by then prime minister Tun Abdul Razak Hussein to join the newly formed MAS in 1971, when Malaysia-Singapore Airlines broke up to form separate airlines.

Abdul Aziz was first appointed as company secretary and then as legal affairs director.

In 1982, he was appointed managing director and CEO to replace retiring general manager Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye.

He retired in 1991 leaving the airline in a very healthy state – a cash hoard of RM5 bil! But at that time, there was little competition as low-cost carrier AirAsia only started operations in 1996.

Nevertheless, Abdul Aziz, in one of his last media interviews with The News Straits Times in June 2019, had said that it was important to hold on to “national pride” when it comes to the beleaguered airline.

He said saving MAS was akin to safeguarding the nation’s sovereignty even if it meant having to spend billions to do so.

Abdul Aziz said MAB, as a national carrier, is the bearer of the national flag, giving recognition to the country and a symbol of pride.

He believed that there was hope for MAS to get out of the rut provided the government takes bold steps to fix the situation. One of the first issues that needed immediate resolution was MAB’s liabilities. According to latest available numbers, MAB’s total liabilities increased 15.65% to RM5.97 bil as at Dec 31, 2018 from RM5.17 bil in the previous year.

The airline managed to marginally reduce its net loss to RM791.71 mil in FY18 from RM812.11 mil in the previous year on the back of a slight improvement in revenue to RM8.74 bil from RM8.67 bil. 

FocusM reported that MAB is expected to remain unprofitable and will require as much as RM21 bil of public funds to keep it running until 2025, if the national carrier fails to turn around its fortunes or find a strategic partner.

The pint-sized Abdul Aziz said in the early days, the airline faced trying times as the management had no experience and did not know what the airline industry was about. However, they soldiered on and “were determined that a young country needed a national carrier”.

His perseverance stemmed from young. Abdul Aziz, who hails from Kampung Pasir Pekan in Kota Baru, Kelantan, had his father and the Japanese to thank for being where he was.

According to NST, during the Japanese Occupation, he was teased by his schoolmates as “Aziz Pendek”, while the Japanese soldiers referred to him as chissai kodomo (small boy), who could sing well the Japanese national anthem, Kimi Ga Yo.

Despite his size, he used to be his school’s top scorer in football during the Japanese Occupation, and played only in his sarong.

He studied for two years at Sekolah Melayu Kampung Pek before passing his Senior Cambridge (Form Five) at Ismail English School in Kota Baru.

Abdul Aziz then moved on to Victoria School in Singapore before proceeding to University of Malaya in Singapore to study pharmacy. However, he cut short his studies to return to Kelantan to join the civil service in 1955.  

In 1964, he obtained a federal scholarship to study law at Lincoln’s Inn in London. Three years later, he was admitted to the Bar and joined the judicial and legal service.  Six months later, he was promoted as Sessions Court president.

In 1969, he was transferred to the Attorney-General’s Chambers as a federal counsel and assistant parliamentary draftsman.

Many Malaysians are hoping to see the end of MAB’s woes but sadly, Abdul Aziz will never be able to witness it, if it ever happens. May he rest in peace. – Jan 23, 2020

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