Sack Malaysia Airports chief over mismanagement of klia2, says DAP lawmaker

Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) managing director Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad Abdul Majid should be sacked for incompetence and gross mismanagement over the construction of klia2, a DAP lawmaker said today.

Party national publicity chief Tony Pua said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should send a clear message to all government-linked companies (GLCs) that he would not tolerate incompetence and gross mismanagement.

Najib no longer had any excuse not to act against the top management of MAHB, Pua said in a statement.

"In fact, Najib should act against the (acting) transport minister for failing to check on MAHB's intransigence," Pua said. He said Bashir's contract as MAHB managing director had been extended twice while the cost of klia2 had ballooned to RM4 billion.

“In July 2007, then transport minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat announced that the initial budget to construct klia2 was RM1.7 billion.

"In March 2009, the budget for klia2 was increased to RM2 billion. The figure then rose to RM2.5 billion in October 2010.

"MAHB then shocked Malaysians in November 2011 when it announced that the cost for klia2 had spiralled to RM3.9 billion," said Pua.

In fact, Pua said, AirAsia founder Tan Sri Tony Fernandes had tweeted that the cost of klia2 had ballooned to RM5 billion in July 2012, a claim which was denied by Putrajaya.

Acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein insisted in August last year that the cost would not exceed RM4 billion.

"So it was no surprise that Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi finally told The Edge that the cost of klia2 would cost more than RM4 billion," Pua said.

He said Aziz had attributed the additional costs to a change in job scope and other unforeseen matters.

"For the past three years, the transport ministers and MAHB top management have lied to Malaysian taxpayers.

"MAHB has clearly demonstrated complete incompetence and even attempted to conceal its mismanagement behind outright lies and deception."

Pua said heads must roll, otherwise the entire Najib administration will be responsible for a low-cost klia2 which might cost up to RM5 billion to build.

He also questioned the opening date of klia2, which has been moved at least five times from September 2011 to the current deadline of May 2, 2014.