By Emmanuel Samarathisa
FORMER Transport Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Saripuddin Kasim has been appointed the new executive chairman of the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).
Saripuddin, who replaces Dr Nungsari Ahmad Radhi, was with the Ministry of Transport (MoT) but was transferred in January last year to become the Federal Territories Ministry secretary-general. Saripuddin was also a commissioner for Mavcom between 2016 and 2018.
MoT is expected to make an announcement on Saripuddin’s appointment soon.
Nungsari, who quit on April 10 this year, said his resignation was “proper” given his sacking from Majlis Amanah Rakyat (Mara) and stepping down from Khazanah Research Institute under the Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
“(These) appointments were made by the previous government. So it is proper that I resigned from Mavcom too,” he told the New Straits Times on April 20.
Prior to his appointment to the Mavcom chair, Nungsari served as the agency’s commissioner since inception on March 1, 2016.
He also took a hefty pay cut with over 80% reduction for his monthly salary, which was set at RM15,000, or a RM70,000 reduction compared to his predecessor Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad.
Sariupuddin is expected to lead Mavcom on the back of a proposed merger between the agency and the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, which was mooted by former transport minister Anthony Loke. – April 30, 2020
