LOOKS like Shahril Mokhtar may not return to his alma mater Prasarana Malaysia Bhd as president and chief group executive (PCGE).
Sources say that the former Prasarana managing director and Mass Rapid Transit Corp Sdn Bhd CEO might be out of the race to take up the top job to lead the national public transport operator.
“His name was nominated a few times but it was refused,” sources told FocusM.
Former Rapid Rail Sdn Bhd CEO Zohari Sulaiman is now among the favourites to bag the job but he is still deemed as “an underdog”, a source said.
Other names that have been bandied about include former Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) CEO Mohd Rani Hisham Samsudin, former Prasarana chief financial officer Mohd Zahir Zahur Hussain and former Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) CEO Mohd Azharuddin Mat Sah.
The PCGE 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. – July 9, 2020
