The Plane Saga: Understanding the Issue

A Kadir Jasin

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OUR popularly elected government, according to the Prime Minister who won the largest electoral mandate in the history of the country, did not buy the Airbus A319 Corporate Jet.

It leased the luxury jet from Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB).

Whether the plane is bought or leased, who pays for it? It has to be the taxpayers, many of whom voted for the Barisan Nasional in the 2004 general elections that gave the Prime Minister his historic majority.

What is PMB? It’s a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Who owns Khazanah? The government? Who elected and pay for the upkeep of the government? The taxpayers and the voters.

PMB is, therefore, a rakyat-owned. It was set up on the advice of the celebrated Bina Fikir consultancy as part and parcel of the so-called unbundling and restructuring of Mas in the aftermath of the 1997/98 regional financial crises that saw the government taking the airlines back from Tan Sri Tajudin Ramli.

Who are the board members of PMB? According to PMB’s website, the chairman is Tan Sri Mohd Abu Bakar Mohd Nor and directors are Dato’ Putih Rukiah Abdul Majid, Shahnaz Al-Sadat Sheikh Abdul Mohsein, Dato’ Kamaruddin Ahmad and Nasution Mohamed, who is MD and CEO.

What does PMB call itself? From its website --- A "global" company "of choice" in providing aviation services.

Its mission? –

1. To be a dynamic and professional aviation company focusing on high value assets, operating to best practices standards in all aspects of its business as well as to enhance competitive advantage in areas with growth potential:

2. To generate sustainable value for its stakeholders and offer the highest quality of care and services to its customers;

3. To continuously explore innovative ways of doing business;

4. To strive for strong sustainable profitability and growth for the domestic airline business; and

5. To provide a growth-oriented workplace that recognises the interests, rights and ideas of its employees as well providing a corporate environment that encourages high integrity and ethical standards; and ensures compliance with all regulations and laws.

Its guiding Principles?

1. Integrity and Honesty -- to earn the trust of stakeholders and community by being committed to the utmost standards of ethics, honesty and integrity in all our business dealings;

2. Resourcefulness -- to have the confidence to passionately seek out opportunities for success and to strive for innovation;

3. Openness -- to be an active listener, genuinely consider others' viewpoints, not be pre-judgmental and also be transparent in our dealings;

4. Accountability -- to acknowledge personal accountability for our actions and endeavour to honour our commitments; and

5. Mutual Respect -- to acknowledge and appreciate human diversity through our words and actions

To whom does it answer to administratively? Its website says the PMB was incorporated in July 2002 as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Minister of Finance Inc. Who is the Minister of Finance? The Prime Minister of course.

In short, PMB, which is under the Finance Minister Inc, whose ultimate boss is the Prime Minister, bought the jet and leased it to the government, whose ultimate boss is also the Prime Minister.

In simple term, the Prime Minister, through PMB, bought the plane and leased it to the government, which he leads.

[Addendum]

Isu Jet Mewah Dipermudah

1. PM kata kerajaan tak beli tapi sewa;

2. Yang beli adalah Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB);

3. PMB adalah anak syarikat milik penuh Khazanah Nasional Berhad (KNB);

4. KNB dimiliki kerajaan melalui Menteri Kewangan Diperbadankan (MKDp -- Minister of Finance Incorporated);

5. Pengerusi KNB adalah PM;

6. Menteri Kewangan adalah PM;

7. PM dan kerajaan dipilih oleh rakyat jelata; dan

8. Rakyat jelata bayar cukai untuk membiayai kerajaan.

Kesimpulan

1. Beli atau sewa, pembayar cukai tetap terpaksa tanggung perbelanjaannya;

2. PMB, KNB, MKDp, Menteri Kewangan dan PM adalah entiti yang sama dan berkaitan;

3. PMB kini menanggung beban hutang yang besar dan mustahil akan membeli jet mewah kalau tidak diarahkan atau direstui entiti-entiti di atas;

4. Malah PMB sedang berusaha menjual beberapa buah kapal terbang miliknya jenis Fokker 50; dan

5.PM selaku Ketua BN yang mendapat mandat paling besar dalam sejarah pilihan raya umum Malaysia adalah juga Menteri Kewangan dan pengerusi KNB “telah membeli” jet mewah berharga antara RM175 juta hingga RM200 juta dan memajaknya kepada Kerajaan Malaysia yang dipilih dan dibiayai oleh rakyat jelata.

Perbelanjaan mewah ini berlaku pada saat rakyat jelata disarankan supaya mengubah gaya hidup bagi menghadapi kenaikan kos sara hidup akibat kenaikan harga minyak, gas memasak, elektrik, air, tol dan pelbagai lagi yang kesemuanya dengan restu kerajaan sendiri.

Nota kaki: Pembesar negara sudah pun disediakan empat buah pesawat eksekutif yang terdiri daripada Boeing Business Jet, Bombardier Global Express, Dassault Falcon 900B dan Fokker F-28 serta beberapa buah helikopter. Untuk rombongan besar ke luar negara, kerajaan sering menyewa khas pesawat Mas.