Bellew: There was 'zero' gov't interference

Outgoing Malaysia Airlines CEO Peter Bellew said there was "zero" government interference in his work.

"People always ask me how do I cope with government interference. There has been none for me. Zero interference," he said in a statement, according to Star Online.

He said Khazanah Nasional Bhd, a sovereign wealth fund and the sole shareholder of Malaysia Airlines, had been supportive of his work and thanked the company.

"There have been news reports about Khazanah. Let me be clear. Khazanah is a Malaysian investment company linked to the government. They have been incredibly supportive to me personally and corporately.

"I tried to be transparent on a daily basis, included them in most significant meetings and dragged their staff to work for us! It has worked well. There has been no interference.

"Although possibly I drove Khazanah mad with my constant questions and wish for consensus. I cannot thank them enough for accelerating our transformation. (Managing director) Azman (Mokhtar) could not have been more supportive. Terima kasih Khazanah," said Bellew.

Last night, a speculative report by NSTP group managing director A Jalil Hamid, who is known to be closely aligned to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, wrote that Bellew's departure was linked to Khazanah's purported "micro-management" of Malaysia Airlines.

Khazanah has since dismissed the report as "speculative".

Reasons for leaving

On why he suddenly decided to leave Malaysia Airlines and join Ryanair as chief operating officer from Dec 1 onwards, Bellew said it has to do with his love for his home country of Ireland.

"So why am I leaving? Negaraku. Love for country is pulling me back to Ireland. I got a call from Ryanair late evening two weeks ago to be COO. It is Ireland’s greatest company. They need my help and there is a big challenge. It is a form of national service.

"When I was asked on Sept 27 would I go to Ryanair I said 'No'. But a week later the call came and in life we can really never say never. I am looking forward to being close again to my family and friends 14 hours away in Ireland," he said.

Meanwhile, Bellew said Malaysia Airlines needs to continue increasing their revenue by 4 to 5 percent every month and the company would be profitable soon.

"Success is just within our grasp... Not always easy to gain but in the second quarter revenue increased 7 percent," he said.

He said that much as been done for the company and there was much more to do.- Mkini