Firefly, FAX or Idris Jala or The Malaysian Airlines story so far

NO GOOD MALAYSIAN DEED GOES UNREWARDED


Pity Idris Jala (his the Malaysian Airlines MD). Just when he got the airline back on track again, boom came an uppercut. courtesy of FAX, the off-shoot of AirAsia.

Under the rationalisation plan of the Malaysian airline industry, FAX was given the license to operate the rural air services for Sabah and Sarawak.


FAX has other things in mind though, it has launch AirAsiaX to take low fare travel for long haul flights and now it want to ditch the rural air services back to Malaysian Airlines.


Cue our Transport Minister Datuk Chong Kong Choy who only a few days after FAX bosses cane out with the statement that the Cabinet had approved the proposal.

The rationalisation plan that allow Malaysian Airlines to hand over the rural air services to FAX took almost one year to be studied. I am not making any accusations here just facts. If you dont believe me check it out yourself at the NST archives, you can do the timeline yourselves.


Clearly, Idris Jala is the victim here. He simply cannot win. Just when you thought that Malaysia Airlines finally has a good captain, those in powers would try to muck it up again.

Malaysia Airlines have not responded to the latest development. In my posting on AeroMalaysia Forum, I suggest that Idris was trying to find a diplomatic way to say no to the diktum.

But how is Idris going to say no to the Cabinet? The only way for him now is to accept the proposal no matter how bad it is on his bottomline.

Being a Sarawakian, Idris certainly knows the importance of the rural air service but as the MD he had made the necessary decision to cut off the black hole of Malaysian Airlines.

Idris certainly has an obligation to his shareholders but his biggest shareholder is the Government itself.

The best way out for Idris? Quit, passed this strange turn of event to the next guy. Certainly it was the Government which is holding his hand.

Couldnt he returned the favour? As the subtitle says No Malaysian Good Deed Goes Unrewarded