YOURSAY ‘Now it looks like a third tragedy is about to afflict MAS.’

'6,000 punished for MAS’ poor management'

Swipenter: Put it this way. You may have money (which is finite) to spend and spend but if the cronies keep plundering Malaysia Airlines (MAS), it would one day bleed to death.

MH370 and MH17 just hastened its demise. Now we have RM6 billion and a new company to take over MAS. Without a competent management, it will soon be back to square one.

This ‘national pride’ has been severely savaged by the cronies since the day MAS was handed to Tajuddin Ramli on a silver platter by then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

CQ Muar: This is not something new - Malaysia is a land of endless corruption and bailouts; led by prime ministers who are anything but honest and financially decent.

It's no secret that the nation's coffers had been siphoned bone dry by all those superlative corruptors under Umno-BN.

In the case of MAS, with a history of manoeuvring by a long list of CEOs and their underlings, we truly sympathise with those 6,000 workers for their undeserved misfortune, who will be retrenched at no fault of theirs.

It is devastating and heartbreaking as to how they will cope during this difficult and hard time.

This is indeed an irony, PM Najib Abdul Razak's ‘1Malaysia’ prided slogan for you - a high income and developed nation come 2020. Despite such calamities and disasters during his tenure, it's amazing how Najib has such audacity to play possum.

J Ng: The to-be-retrenched workers may not be at fault, but given the situation, commercial reality of staff reduction is inevitable.

More important is the criteria used to retrench the 6,000 staff. The selection must be bias-free. I am sure favouritism and cronyism are widespread in MAS.

It must not be left to the existing superiors to select those to be terminated. Allowing this will end up 'skimming the cream and keeping the crumbs'.

What I don't understand is the need to maintain the present CEO until next year. His presence for the whole transition period is unnecessary and unhealthy. Surely, someone from within can be appointed to manage together with the hired consultants.

And Najib can call the RM6 billion whatever he wants. It sure is another bailout using public money.

FellowMalaysian: MAS cannot claim redundancy because just yesterday, it wrote to The Star newspaper clarifying that its flights are full.

Coupled with the country's robust economy, which Najib was quick to claim credit for when second quarter GDP grew at a credible 6.3 percent, there is little reason why 30 percent of the MAS staff across the board need to be laid off.

The two recent plane losses have caused untold tragedies, heartaches and suffering and the whole nation still reels in mourning and despair over the tragic loss of many lives on board the two flights.

Now, it looks like a third tragedy is about to afflict MAS and this time through the wilful hands of our government. Why then must Najib be heartless enough to so soon take the rice bowls away from these 6,000 innocent staff?

If MAS is so seriously cash-starved, why not remove the many overpaid directors? It appears that these unfortunate staff are being made scapegoats as Najib goes witch-hunting.

Anticonmen: The corruption in MAS is just the tip of the iceberg of corruption and is in addition to the inflated mega-projects corruption, the toll corruption, the AP (approved permit) system corruption, the Petronas oil trading options corruption, the 1MDB investments corruption, the EPF (Employees’ Provident Fund) investments corruption, the government procurement corruption, the defence contracts corruption, the government land corruption, the independent power plants corruption, the Sarawak land grab corruption, the state timber concessions corruption, the Felda land corruption, the Indah Water corruption, the Sports Toto corruption, the Big Sweep corruption, the Sarawak oil fields corruption, etc, etc.

Corruption is indeed a way of life in Malaysia.

Lionking: No one has been held accountable and this is how we manage. The management should be charged in the court, for surely we can find evidence of corruption.

MAS cannot succeed unless structural changes are made in having competent management. It is sad that because of a screw-up by the management and BN, 6,000 people will lose their jobs.

This often happens - the employees down the line will have to suffer due to some form of mismanagement. It is unfair.

Anyway, take heart, all those employees who will lose their jobs. Look abroad as there are many airlines, especially in the Middle East, which are expanding their business at breathtaking pace. Be brave.

Truth: Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim is playing politics. Even Intel, Motorola, Toyota, foreign companies retrench employees, including Malaysians. This is nothing new in corporate restructuring. Why didn't Anwar condemn them?

Anonymous$&@?: No doubt that Anwar is playing politics here, but we all know that there is truth to what he is saying. MAS has been a cash cow for Umno and its cronies.

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