JMM wants Tan Sri Aziz as the new Chairman of MAS

by weechookeong

Left: Tan Sri Md Nor & Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal. Pictures taken from NST.

Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM) has called for Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Zainal, the former Malaysian ambassador to France and General of Malaysian Arm Forces, to take over the chairmanship of MAS from Tan Sri Md Nor Md Yusof.  JMM is confident that Tan Sri Abdul Aziz would be able to bring MAS back to its former glory, in HERE.

Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof was the Managing Director of MAS from 14-2-2001 to 31-3-2004.  When he was the MD of MAS, he appointed BinaFikir Sdn Bhd to restructure MAS.

BinaFikir Sdn Bhd’s logo. In 2008 It was sold to Maybank forRM8 million.

Left: Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, the MD of Khazanah, and En Mohamad Rashdan Yusuf aka Danny. The two co-founders of BinaFikir Sdn Bhd

BinaFikir Sdn Bhd was co-founded by Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar and En Mohamad Rashdan Yusuf aka Danny, who had to leave MAS in disgrace.  Please read HERE(strangely the links to Binafikir’s website in the posting have disappeared & it shows “under constructions”), HERE, HERE, HERE.

Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar is the MD of Khazanah. Rumour has it that after En Mohamad Rashdan Yusuf aka Danny left MAS he was absolved into Khazanah.

Although the contents of BinaFikir Sdn Bhd’s website have disappeared or “under constructions” (do not for how long), you can still see it HERE.

BinaFikir was appointed to save MAS.  It came out with WAU (“Widespread Assets Un-Bundling”). In short, WAU’s main objective was to make MAS an “Asset Light Airline”, HERE.  

Prior to “WAU” has assets worth RM5 billion. After WAU, MAS got lighter and lighter so it flies higher and higher! 

Left: Tan Sri Md Nor Md Yusuf

Formerly known as MAS Catering Sdn Bhd

Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof was also responsible for disposing off 70% of MAS Catering Sdn Bhd to a company owned by Datuk Ibrahim Badawi, who is the brother of Tun Abdullah Badawi.  Immediately thereafter he saw it fit to sign the 25 years one sided catering contract. What a clever decision for the MD of MAS to make at the material time! Please read HERE.

Under this one sided catering contract, MAS had to commit RM6.25 billion for 25 years for all its foods and other related services with LSG Skychef Brahim’s Sdn Bhd. MAS has little or no power to negotiate on prices charged for good and services.  Hence, a stick of stay cost RM3.20!

How about the price of mineral water, juices, eggs, beverages  and other foods? Could MAS staffs help us with the prices of food and beverages that MAS had to pay to LSG Skychef Brahim’s Sdn Bhd.

No other airline in the world had signed a one sided catering contract for 25 years except MAS when Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof was its MD.

Left: Tan Sri Nor Mahamad Yakop, the then extremely powerful Minister of Finance II, was officiating a function of Tune Money Sdn Bhd, an AirAsia related company.

By the way when the 25 years catering contract was signed, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakop was the extremely powerful Minister of Finance II.  Of course, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakop was not aware of such a one sided contract that had burdened MAS for the past 11 years and another 14 more years more to go!  If at that material time, Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakop were to know about this unfair catering contract he would have stopped it.  Therefore, we cannot blame Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakop for it as he was totally unaware of such a huge contract signed by MAS then. Now that he has been recently appointed as the Deputy Chairman of Khazanah, we hope that he should now know about this one sided catering contract and do justice for not only MAS but the nation, as MAS is our national airline.

The “Happy Family”. Left; Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof, Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, En Mohamad Rashdan Yusuf aka Danny and Datuk Nazir Razak, the CEO of CIMBThey were so happy after the signing of the MAS-AirAsia share swap.

When Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof took over as the Chairman of MAS in August  2011 (a week or so before the infamous  ”MAS-AirAsia share swap”), many thought that this Tan Sri of good repute and conscience would have at least re-negotiate on the unfair terms of the catering contract to minimise the financial burden of MAS.

Two years have passed by and many in MAS were disappointed as this Tan Sri of very good repute did not bother to lift a finger to lessen the yearly financial burden of MAS as far as the one sided catering contract is concerned.

Actually it was most unreasonable to expect Tan Sri Md Nor Yusuf to re-visit the one sided 25 years contract for the simple reason that he was the person responsible for signing it.  At that material time, he must have thought that signing a one side  catering contract for 25 years was the most brilliant thing he had ever done in his life time and, of course, to protect the best interest of MAS.

To disgress a little here, Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof has a chequered career in CIMB, GLCs and other government post.  After Tan Sri Md Nor Yusuf left MAS on 31-3-2004 he was appointed as the Chairman of the Security Commission (SC) by Tun Abdullah Badawi, the former PM.  After he retired as Chairman of SC in 2006, Tun Abdullah Badawi appointed him as a director of Khazanah, HERE.

By co-incidence, the present advisor of MAS is, of course, Tun Abdullah Badawi.  If Tun Abdullah were to be kept fully briefed of the one sided contract that have burdened MAS, he would not have condoned it.

Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof’s term as the Chairman of MAS is coming to an end, it is hoped that those “aviation experts” in Khazanah including Tan Sri Nor Mohamad Yakop, the newly appointed Deputy Chairman of Khazanah, will not be involved in the re-appointment process of Tan Sri Md Nor Yusuf or the appointment of the new chairman.

Those “aviaition experts” in Khazanah were too deeply involved in the “MAS-AirAsia share swap” in August 2011. It was also around this period that Tan Sri Md Nor was appointed the Chairman of MAS.

By the way, the tenure of En Ahmad Jauhari Yahya aka AJ as the CEO of MAS is also expiring soon.

If there is no other yardstick for the Government to go by with regards to the appointment of the top officers of MAS, please look at  MAS current share price of about 30 Sen, which is at an all time LOW!

The top managers in MAS can churn out as many Business Plans as they like.  As long as the share price of MAS hoovering around the miserable 30 Sen per share speaks volume.  Need we say more?

The Government must now realize that MAS does not need dead wood but real aviaiton experts in order to bring it back to its former glory.  MAS badly needs a realTRANSFORMATION and not New Business Plans after New Business Plans without continuity.

In September 1996, MAS share price was RM6.60 in HERE!