Pot calling kettle black? I can hardly make sense of Idris Jala's PowerPoint slides myself but Khairy Jamaluddin who makes some sense this time, what track record has he got? Does this dispel rumors which were floating around when Sleepy Head was PM, that KJ was behind Air Asia? Well, maybe not. So many questions these days with nary a straight answer.
This was in The Malaysian Insider.
August 09, 2011
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — Khairy Jamaluddin ridiculed today Datuk Seri Idris Jala’s track record during his tenure as Malaysian Airlines Bhd (MAS) boss as well as the minister in charge of Putrajaya’s Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu).
The Umno Youth chief posted on micro-blogging site Twitter that “running a beleaguered premium flag carrier needs more imagination than being able to give a slick ppt presentation or unbundling its assets.”
“I think one of Idris Jala’s best career move was leaving MAS to become Minister. He didn’t actually need to run MAS beyond ‘turnaround’,” the Rembau MP added, referring to questions raised over Jala’s record as MAS chief executive.
The imminent share swap between the national carrier and thriving budget airline AirAsia has cast the spotlight on Jala’s four years at MAS.
After being appointed to the position by the Barisan Nasional (BN) government in 2005, he implemented a turnaround plan from a nine-month loss of RM1.3 billion in 2005 to a record profit of RM850 million in 2007.
But Khairy’s (picture)tweets today reflected criticism levelled at the minister in the Prime Minister’s Separtment, that he achieved healthy figures through asset stripping, a strategy that he has repeated as part of the administration’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP).The ETP, which aims to double per capita income by 2020, will see “non-core” government and government-linked-company assets being divested, a move some say reflects the Treasury’s need for additional cash.
“While we’re on IJ, Pemandu officers should not be briefing re latest NKRA KPIs. Should be the Ministers. Accountability. Pemandu unelected,” Khairy said, an apparent reference to criticism that Jala’s unit has taken over operations in the Najib administration.
He also said that as Jala could not save MAS operationally, the government should not rule out any candidate to take over as chief executive from Tengku Datuk Azmil Zahruddin, who replaced Jala in 2009.
“Can’t rule anyone out. Even pilots,” he wrote.
The state-owned airline has already had two rights issues since Jala took over, raking in RM1.6 billion in 2007 and RM2.67 billion in 2010 to fund its operations and fleet purchases.
Industry experts said that a further injection of cash will not save MAS as “operational fixes” are required.
Most recently, it recorded a first-quarter net loss of RM242.3 million against a profit of RM310.6 million in the same period a year ago.
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