Opinion: Capt Izham Ismail, you just insulted and disrespected all your predecessors

Opinion: Capt Izham Ismail, you just insulted and disrespected all your predecessors

5 Mar 2024 • 11:00 AM MYT




FLK
Used to do a bit of work in corporate restructuring, corporate `undertaker.

Image Credit: NST


If what Capt Izham was implying was that while SIA had the advantage of taking over the infrastructure, planes and route network of MSA, MAS had to start from scratch — employing staff, buying planes, building infrastructure, such as hangars, catering facilities and developing the network and had to secure rights to operate to international destinations on why MAS was set up to fail on the very first day, he is truly insulting and disrespected his predecessors such as Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye and Tan Sri Abdul Aziz.


Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye, the man who helped set up Malaysia Airlines (Malaysia Airline System) and served as its first general manager before serving as MAS chief executive officer before retiring in 1982, previous Managing Directors such as Tan Sri Abdul Aziz Abdul Rahman who was appointed the Managing Director of Malaysia Airlines in 1982, 3 years after Capt Izham Ismail joined MAS in 1979 as a cadet pilot, until his retirement in 1991, Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof who was the MD from February 2001 to March 2004.


Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad, who in 1972 joined the then newly formed Malaysia Airlines as a Management Trainee and stayed for 29 years in various managements positions of Director of Corporate Planning, Commercial Director and Executive Vice-President Airline before joining Malaysia Airports in 2003 as CEO for 11 years, paid a glowing tribute in a letter to the New Straits Times on 16 Oct 2016 to Tan Sri Saw for his vision and leadership supported by Tan Sri Aziz Abdul Rahman and other senior members of management in laying the foundation of what was to become a great airline.


In a tribute at the passing of Tan Sri Abdul Aziz in Jan 2020, Tan Sri Bashir Ahmad has this to say about him - “Tan Sri Aziz led MAS to great heights. During his time, MAS had its glory days and expanded its network worldwide”.


MAS apparently was in deficit to the tune of RM39 million and needed RM70 million for operations when he was appointed as the Managing Director in 1982.


When Tan Sri Abdul Aziz retired in 1991, he reportedly left the airline with a cash hoard of RM5 billion.


1994 was the start of the downhill of MAS with the emergence of Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli who took a MYR1.79 billion loan to buy a 32% stake in MAS making him its largest shareholder in MAS.


Apparently, when asked whether he can service his huge debts, Tajuddin said he have no problems as he has never rescheduled, defaulted, nor is he about to default on his loans.


The financial crisis that hits the country in 1997 unravelled with Tan Sri Tajuddin admitting in court documents that he was `instructed to’ buy MAS by the then Finance Minister and PM.


According to a report lodged by the Managing Director for MASKargo, Shahari Sulaiman, MAS had RM600 million in cash before the emergence of Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli as the single largest shareholder. When Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli sold back the company to the government of Malaysia, MAS was burdened with a RM8 billion debt.


The rest of the debacle between Tajuddin and the government of Malaysia played out to the full view of the ordinary rakyat with its salacious details with each calling each other of being ungrateful and denying each other’s accusations and allegations disclosed in public.


Ever since then, MAS has never recovered and continued with its downslide.


52 years has passed and billions and billions of Ringgit was poured into the airline.


Approximately 10 individuals had gone through the revolving doors as the CEO of MAS.


And except for Tan Sri Aziz, none really truly managed to turn around the airline.


And now we have the present CEO, who if not for the financial restructuring of the airline posted a financial profit and stacked up a cash hoard from injections from the shareholder i.e the tax payers rather than from operational profits and have yet to deliver a real profit from its operations saying setting up MAS was wrong from day one.


His comment that MAS was set to fail from day one is akin to the great grandson, who failed in his life, career and family wise, saying the union of his great grandfather and great grandmother should not have had happened and was doomed to fail from the start.


Despite producing 2nd offsprings who were successful, the grandchildren and great grandchildren failed in their lives.


If the union had not happened or happened under more favorable circumstances, all the subsequent generations would not have to suffer and would have live their lives comfortably off forever.


Is Capt Izham trying to lay the ground work to justify his potential failure in the future with his unsubstantiated reasoning that MAS should not have been set up from day one.


Was he also implying that the government of the day at that time was wrong in their strategy for MAS to be a domestic airline with some regional services.


By laying the blame on the early days of MAS for the subsequent and present woes of the airline, Capt Izham is laying bare the possibility of the airline failing again under his management.


What is the probability of it failing again?


Given the raft of excuses coming out, it appears highly likely.


In Malaysia, there are those who believe they can really move forward by taking a leaf out of Singapore's book as shown by the comment by Capt Izham and those who have delusions of grandeur and just aim high to look good.